


With Me By Your Side

by Anonymous_Writer2311



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: AvaLance, F/F, No Clones, fake date
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-05-29 02:53:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15063431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Writer2311/pseuds/Anonymous_Writer2311
Summary: When Sara invites herself as Ava's date to the Time Bureau's Annual Award's Ceremony, the two women find themselves stuck in a lie that leads them down a long and twisty road of discovery and awakening. AvaLance





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No clones, no fake family, just a whole lot of AvaLance

The Legend’s had really outdone themselves this time! Ava was fuming when the file from their latest mission came across her desk, she was just about to turn in for the evening and now she had to deal with this, more annoyingly she had to deal with Sara. The infamous Captain Sara Lance, was the pain in Ava’s ass, with all the teasing and reckless behaviour. Ava couldn’t for the life of her, understand why Director Hunter had given her a time ship, or how Sara could even manage to run a team.

 

Fixing her hair back into place, in a tightly wrapped bun, Ava flipped the switch on her Time Courier opening a portal to the main deck of the Waverider. Ava had been trained on this ship, and grew to enjoy the features that it held, but nowadays any visit she made was met with sarcasm and a headache. Surveying the room, the agent saw the reminders of what looked to have been quite an eventful fight, weapon lay idly some blood-soaked, others bone dry. Ava smiled, thinking about her latest fight on the ship, Sara had been a worthy competitor, and Ava knew that if they hadn’t of stopped for a break Sara would have come out on top. But she still felt a small tingle inside when she thought about how she took on the dreaded Captain Sara Lance and walked away with only a few bruises.

 

“Ava? To what to we owe the pleasure?” The agent tried her best not to seem startled by the sudden appearance of the smaller blonde woman.

 

“Bringing Zombies onto this ship? Really Captain Lance?” Ava’s face held no emotion, as her hands clasped together behind her back.

 

“That one wasn’t on me…” Sara mumbled as she walked into her office, leaving Ava to wonder if she should follow or not.  “Either the holograms are getting better or you’re so stiff you can’t walk properly?” Sara poked her head out of the door and winked at the agent, with an eye roll Ava moved towards the office, she could already tell that it was going to be a long night.

 

“Let me guess, Mr. Palmer? Mr. Rory?” Ava questioned as she leaned against the desk, Sara let out a hearty laugh as she fixed herself and Ava a drink.

 

“Amaya and Nate actually, they were having a little ‘them’ time and forgot to lock up the ship. That’s the last time I leave them in charge…” Sara turned and handed the small glass of whiskey to the taller blonde.

 

“Thank you…” Ava mumbled, this was the first time that Sara had been somewhat nice to her since their meeting. “Why did you leave them in charge? Clearly Mr Palmer would have been the obvious choice.” Ava commented, making Sara roll her eyes at her.

 

“I had business to take care of back home and Ray is working on a project for me. Anyway, I come back only to find the main deck filled with zombies that are starving for some brains, while Nate is practically crying in the corner and Rory is begging me to let him ‘fry some zombie ass’...so let’s just say it’s been a long day and I’d much rather have a pleasant conversation about the weather with you than have you ride my ass about all the things that went wrong today!” Sara finally stopped and took a seat on the nearby chair. The air between the two women was awkward and heavy, they had never been with each other for this length of time before and neither one of them knew what to talk about, that didn’t involve the Legend’s screwing up.

 

“So…” Ava began, forcing Sara to look up from her glass and meet the blonde’s eyes. “I hear we are due some snow in the next few days.” Ava smiled, making Sara burst out laughing.

 

“Very funny Agent Sharpe didn’t know you agents were allowed a sense of humor.” Sara regretted the comment as soon as it left her mouth, but it was the look on Ava’s face that appeared for a split second that really made Sara want to punch herself in the face.

 

“I used to before I had to start cleaning up your team’s messes…” Ava joked back, reassuring Sara that she hadn’t just ruined the moment between them. Sara was in serious need of a friend that wasn’t a team member on this ship, and she hoped that Ava would be willing to play that role.

 

“We are pretty chaotic, aren’t we?” Sara spoke simply, before finishing her drink and noticed that Ava was yet to touch hers. “Not a whiskey fan?” Sara asked with a raised eyebrow, forcing Ava to look down at the glass in her hands and then back up at the smirking captain.

 

“Not really, I tried it a few times, but it never really sat well with me.” Sara stood and retrieved the glass from Ava’s hands.

 

“Want me to get Gideon to whip up something else for you?” Sara asked quickly as Ava was about to stand, she wasn’t ready for the agent to leave just yet.

 

“No, it’s alright thank you. I should probably get back to work, I have to file the information you gave me about the mission.” Ava nervously patted down her suit, swatting away the invisible crumbs.

 

“Right...well for future endeavors, what do you drink Agent Sharpe?” Sara asked as she stood to face Ava.

 

“I’m more of a vodka martini girl myself...and Captain Lance, I don’t want you to think that this is going to be a regular thing, my job isn’t to drink with you after your team has screwed up.” Any signs of normal Ava were gone, and the stuck-up Agent Sharpe was back once again.

 

“Of course, Agent Sharpe...have a good nig- “

 

“Captain Lance sorry to interrupt, but we are receiving a transmission from the Time Bureau,” Gideon spoke up, cutting through the awkward tension momentarily.

 

“Put them on Gideon,” Ava spoke up before Sara even had the chance to open her mouth.

 

“You heard her Gideon,” Sara added after Gideon had failed to respond to Ava’s request.

 

“Right away Captain Lance.”

 

“Hello Legend’s...and Agent Sharpe...Hey!” Gary appeared on the screen, chipper, as usual, while also a little confused as to why his boss was there.

 

“What do you want Gary?” Ava snapped at the young man.

 

“I was just calling to extend an invitation to the Legend’s to attend our Annual Award’s Ceremony, it’s this Friday at seven at the Nightingale Hotel.” Ava had forgotten all about the awards ceremony, and more importantly about that award that she was receiving for her study on the Legend’s that she carried out the previous year. “Oh, and Agent Sharpe, while I’ve got you here. You forgot to check your conformation on the plus one section. Plus, one or no plus one?” Gary asked, making Ava turn a slight shade of pink.

 

“I-umm. No plus one Gary…” Ava mumbled, in the background, the two women could hear the sound of males laughing, and various ‘thought so’ and ‘who would want to anyway’ comments.

 

“Actually Gary, Agent Sharpe does have a date. I’m her date!” Sara practically skipped over and wrapped her arms around Ava’s waist, making Gary nearly fall out of this chair in surprise and the laughing stop. “Gideon, end transmission.” Sara smirked as the screen went back to the time map.

 

“What the hell Captain Lance!” Ava quickly broke free from Sara’s embrace.

 

“Hey, I was doing you a favor! You know for a badass agent you sure do let those jerks walk over you!” Sara snapped, before massaging her temple.

 

“Yeah well, you try being one of a few female agents and then get back to me!” Ava snapped back, before sinking into a nearby seat.

 

“I know what it’s like to feel outnumbered on a team full of men...you can’t let them think that they are better than you Ava! You’re one heck of an agent, better than those jerks...and with me by your side, in a sexy yet elegant dress, they’ll be quick to shut up about who is keeping your bed warm at night.” The shorter blonde smirked as she folded her muscular arms across her chest.

 

“I don’t need you to lie about...keeping my bed warm at night Captain Lance.” Ava’s face began to redden as she unbuttoned her blazer. She was so done with this day, that she let all her normal rules that she applied when it came to dealing with Sara disappear, especially since a few of her fellow agents believed that she was bringing the blonde as her date to the most dreaded day of her year.

 

“From the sounds of it, you needed a little help…” Sara muttered, not meaning for Ava to fully hear her, but with the training she received at the Bureau she was able to hear every word. “Look Ava, let’s think of it as a fun night off that we both need and deserve, and in the process, we are able to shut up those ass-hats who think so little of you!” Sara moved closer to the seated woman, and smirked teasingly at her, forcing Ava’s frown to turn into a slight smile.

 

“I could use a night to relax…” Ava replied as Sara nodded her head in agreement.

 

“You need to let that hair of yours down for once. You know I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without that bun.” Sara commented, making Ava laugh slightly, she hated having to wear her hair up all the time, but she didn’t have a choice due to Bureau’s set dress code rules that were in place.

 

“Okay, I’m in... but this is a one-time thing Captain Lance, we shut those jerks up, have a good time and then things go back to normal, got it?” Ava stood and straightened her suit out.

 

“Of course, I’ve always been a one-time kind of girl,” Sara smirked as Ava opened a portal to her office at the bureau.

 

“Be there at seven sharp, dress or trousers, it’s up to you...oh and Captain Lance? Don’t be late!” Ava shouted over her shoulder, as she walked into the portal.

 

“I have a time ship, it’s near impossible for me to be late!” Sara shouted as the portal was closing. “Goodbye to you too Agent Sharpe…”

 

“Sara! Mick is threatening to set me on fire again!” Ray shouted bringing Sara back to her reality.

 

“Mick, you can’t just light Ray on fire! How many times do I have to tell you that!” Sara shouted back as she walked towards the kitchen, for Sara, Friday couldn’t come quick enough.


	2. Chapter 2

Sara stood in her underwear as she struggled to pick the perfect outfit for her night out with Ava. Laid out on the bed was her first choice: black dress trousers, with a nice burgundy blouse, or her backup choice: a long-sleeved red dress and black tights that allowed her to show off her cleavage and legs, just enough to drive any man and most women crazy. Now all the Captain had to do was make a decision, that’s where she was stuck.

 

“Looking hot Captain! If you show up like that I think Agent Sharpe would die.” Amaya joked as she entered Sara’s room. Had it been anyone else Sara would have moved quickly to cover up, especially since she was still quite sensitive about the scars that littered her back and waist, but Amaya was different, she and the brunette had grown closer and closer over the many months that Amaya had been on the ship and them getting ready together was a regular occurrence.

 

“Very funny,” Sara smirked. “I can’t make my mind up! If only I knew what Ava was wearing then-”

 

“Gideon! Call Agent Sharpe!” Amaya called out and before Sara could stop Gideon, Ava’s face appeared on the screen, looking pissed and slightly damp, like she had just stepped out of the shower.

 

“Captain Lance?” Ava asked in disbelief before her face was overtaken by a look of shock, reminding Sara that she was still in her underwear.

 

“Ava...hey.” Sara looked so uncomfortable as she tried to casually cross her arms over her chest, trying to cover the scars on her waist more than her chest, she could have just quickly moved to grab clothes, but it was as if her mind and her legs weren’t speaking at the moment.

 

“Is there something you wanted? Or do you just enjoy calling people in your underwear?” Ava did her best to look away from her screen as she talked to Sara, out of a fear that Sara might catch her drooling over her amazing body.

 

“Ah, Yes. I was wondering what you were going to be wearing tonight? I’m having a bit of trouble deciding on what to wear.” Sara shot glared at Amaya who stood out of view from Ava.

 

“As a member of the Time Bureau, I have to come dressed in my uniform and I hope you’ll be wearing something more than your current outfit choice,” Ava smirked, making Sara feel uncomfortable under her gaze.

 

“Actually I was thinking of going like this, I just love to walk around half naked all the time.” Sara joked as she moved into a Supergirl-ish power stance, figuring that if there was any way she was going to establish any sort of relationship/friendship with the blonde agent, she couldn’t hide who she was or the scars that came with her.

 

“Please tell me you’re kidding…” Ava sent Sara a virtual death stare, causing the Captain to smirk in response.

 

“Pants or Dress? I can’t decide.” Sara finally gave in and moved to hold both outfits up for Ava to examine.

 

“Both look good, presentable even...just pick one and don’t be late.” Ava rolled her eyes before quickly cutting off the transmission, she just couldn’t take seeing the blonde in her underwear anymore.

 

“Well, that was no help…” Sara sighed before face planting her bed.

 

“Why do you care so much, Sara? It’s only Ava…the same Ava that has been riding us since we got the Waverider back!” Amaya questioned as she sat down beside the smaller woman.

 

“I don’t care about Ava…I just…I get what it’s like to be the only woman on a team full of men and if we can’t rely on each other, then who can we rely on?” Sara stuttered, trying and failing to convince her friend that this sudden change in attitude towards the blonde Agent, had nothing to do with the small crush Sara admitted to having on Ava, while extremely intoxicated.

 

“You sure that’s all this is?” Amaya smirked knowingly before a pillow was flung at her head violently.

 

“How many times do I have to tell you that Gideon made us a bad bottle! There is no way in hell that I would ever have a crush on Ava Sharpe.” Sara shouted, pushing any annoying feelings she had for the blonde agent, deep down.

 

***

 

Ava was beyond stressed. Right from the moment, she agreed to let Sara be her date, she knew that it was a bad idea. Sara Lance wasn’t the kind of girl you brought to a gala, let alone one that would feature at least one family member. She was the hot one night stand, the torrid love affair, the sexual awakening.

 

Her whole body was shaking seconds after she ended the transmission. The mere sight of Sara in nothing but her underwear was driving Ava crazy. She knew that Sara was gorgeous, even when clothed she could tell that her body was in perfect shape, no one could ever try and say otherwise, but seeing her so bare, it made the blonde agents blood boil with arousal. Then there was the scars, she knew that Sara obviously didn’t have the safest of jobs, but Gideon had the abilities to heal them completely, so she knew that they must have been from her time before she joined the Legends, back when she was trapped on Lian Yu, or she could have gotten them during her time with the League of Assassins, but Ava knew that she had no right to ask the blonde about them, especially since she had been so obviously trying to hide them at the start of the call. She would never have imagined Sara as the type to hide away from her past, but then again, she didn’t really know anything about the blonde.

 

She needed to cancel, she wanted to cancel. It was the right thing to do...but she couldn’t. A part of her wanted to see Sara on her arm, to see the looks on all those jerks faces. She needed this night out, she deserved it. “It's settled then...Sara Lance, here I come!” Ava smirked at her own reflection in the mirror, before she quickly started to get ready.

 

***

 

Sara was early. She had never been early for anything in her whole life...well lives technically. She was a firm believer in being fashionably late, it was just who she was, but when Ava warned her not to be late, something inside of her clicked. She quickly got ready - deciding to go with the red dress - she did her hair, letting it fall loosely on her shoulders and she applied a little bit of makeup, mainly just to cover the dark circles under her eyes from the nightmares she had the previous night. There was no waiting around, no taking care of one last thing before she left. She simply grabbed her purse, told Zari that she was in charge for the night and then left. But now she was early, and Ava was nowhere to be seen.

 

“What can I get for ya?” The bartender asked as Sara slid onto the cushioned barstool, that she could just about reach thanks to her heels.

 

“Whiskey neat…oh and have a Vodka Martini waiting please.” Sara smiled nervously as she handed him her card to pay for the drinks.

 

“On the house.” He smiled sweetly, as he got to work on Sara’s order.

 

“Thanks.” She smiled back, as she watched him work.

 

“You looked stressed.” He noted as he slid the drink over to the blonde. “Big date? Or are you up for an award?”

 

“Neither...I don’t think.” The former assassin laughed, before taking a large gulp of the harsh alcohol. “I’m meeting a friend here, she works with the…” She stopped herself, realizing that the simple bartender in front of her couldn’t possibly know about the real nature of the event.

 

“The Time Bureau?” He winked as he noticed the look of panic that crept onto the blondes face. “Don’t worry, I know all about what is really happening tonight. My Mom is actually one of the founders, and my Sister is an Agent.” He smiled proudly.

 

“And you are a bartender?” Sara quizzed him skeptically as she gave him the once-over. He definitely had the body for field work, then again, the Bureau did hire Gary and Sara had once seen a twelve-year-old girl with more muscle mass.

 

“I’m still in training, I was late for one of my classes so I had to cover the bar as a punishment.” He shrugged as he started to clean some glasses.

 

“Must be hard without your training ship there anymore…” Sara whispered to herself as she finished off her drink. “Another please and make it a double.”

 

“You must be really worried about this date, that’s not really a date?” He laughed as he poured the alcohol into her glass, not bothering to stop after he hit the double mark.

 

“I don’t get worried...I’m just...I don’t want to mess things up.” She admitted as she ran a shaky hand through her hair, past the point of caring if she messed it at this rate. “You know, this time last week we hated each other’s guts! Like we really couldn’t stand each other...but now...I’ve felt these butterflies in my stomach all week and I’m here…early! I’ve never been early in my whole life!”

 

“Sounds like pre-date jitters to me.” He laughed as he took a quick shot of whiskey to help get him through the long night ahead. “Look, I don’t know anything about you, or this situation you’re in. But what I do know is, you need to figure out what’s going in that head of yours! If you want to make this not date, a date, then you have to grow a set and ask the girl out!”

 

“You know something?” Sara laughed, after fully processing everything the man had just said.

 

“What?”

 

“This is the best bartender advice I’ve gotten in a long time...you should reconsider your career choice my friend...shit, I didn’t even catch your name?” The blonde shook her head embarrassed that she had just spilled her guts out to the poor kid, without even asking so much as his name first.

 

“I’m Daniel.” He held out his hand, with a playful smirk plastered on his face.

 

“Nice to meet you, Daniel, I’m-” Sara was quickly interrupted by the sweet sound of the blonde agent behind her.

 

“Sara? Daniel?” Ava asked sounding completely and utterly confused, as she saw their joint hands on the counter.

 

“Ava…” “Hey, Sis!” The two said in unison before their eyes widened in shock.


	3. Chapter 3

“Sis? As in sister?!” Sara was in complete shock, she couldn’t believe that she had just spilled her guts about Ava, to Ava’s younger brother! Of course, now it all made sense, it was all starting to piece together. The same honey blonde hair, the same crooked smile and baby blue eyes, only instead of having a bureaucrat stick up his ass, he actually seemed pretty laid back to Sara, and then there was the whole agent for sister thing, how did Sara not pick up on that before! The whole reason she was here, was because Ava was one of a few female agents and Sara wanted her to know that she had her back.

 

“Wait...she’s your not date, date?” Daniel smiled wickedly, loving the look of shock and fury that had began to creep onto Ava’s face. “Nicely done Aves!”

 

“You told my brother that we were on a date?” The blonde Agent snarled at the blonde Captain, as she walked closer to the pair.

 

“Not in those words,” Sara smirked in return as she brought her drink to her lips, sipping it slowly. “And, in my defense, I didn’t even know that he was your brother.”

 

“Yeah Sis, cut her some slack.” The younger Sharpe laughed heartily, clearly enjoying how annoyed his sister looked. “And she did order you this.” He winked as he lifted the Vodka Martini up from under the counter.

 

“Vodka Martini right?” Sara smiled as a faint blush crept onto the blondes face.

 

“What are you even doing here Daniel?” Ava ignored the smaller blonde, as she turned to glare at her younger brother.

 

“Hunter is riding my ass because I was a little late for class.” He shrugged like it was no big deal, as he proceeded to make another Vodka Martini for his sister, already knowing from the look on her face, that she was going to need more of these to get her through the night.

 

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop screwing around? Do you think Mom and I got to where we are now by showing up late?” Ava lectured the annoyed man, who simply rolled his eyes at his older sister.

 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Daniel screwed his mouth up, obviously embarrassed by the reprimand Ava was giving him in public. “And it looks like I’ve got another customer...you two ladies enjoy your date.” He quickly put on a fake smile and winked before jogging down to the other side of the bar, leaving the two blondes alone at last.

 

Ava had been somewhat prepared for running into at least one of her family members, but she didn’t think that it would be her younger brother, or that she would find Sara already mingling with him without her.

 

“So, you have a brother?” Sara mumbled as she ran a finger around the rim of her glass.

 

“Obviously...and a sister. But that doesn’t matter right now!” Ava muttered as she sat down on the stool next to the blonde, with her own drink in hand and next one waiting close by. “Is it rude of me to say, I’m surprised you’re here on time...let alone early?”

 

“A little...but you wouldn’t be you if you didn't find at least one way to insult me.” The smaller blonde joked nervously, this was definitely not how she expected the evening to begin.

 

“Well I can’t insult what you’re wearing, so I had to find something else.” Ava smiled shyly into her drink, a faint blush running across her cheeks as she thought back to their previous conversation that day. Secretly she was glad that Sara had gone with the dress, having seen her in trousers all the time, this was definitely a welcomed change.

 

“Thanks. I think you look nice too.” Sara added sweetly, beaming slightly at Ava’s backhanded compliment. “So….Mommy founded all this?”

 

“Co-founded, yes.” The Agent corrected, as she took a large gulp of the harsh liquor, feeling it burn the whole way down her body. Her brother may have been somewhat of a screw-up, but he did make one hell of a drink. “You remembered my drink of choice, I’m impressed.”

 

“I’m not completely clueless and I have done this kind of thing before.” The blonde Captain shrugged smugly, slightly giddy as she noticed the shocked look on Ava’s face.

 

“This is not a date, you do realize that right?” Ava counterattacked, not easing up on the blonde one bit.

 

“Maybe not to us, but you want to make it believable to those idiots right?” Sara smirked her signature smirk, the one that she knew set Ava’s blood on fire.

 

“I guess...but I kinda thought just having you as a silent accessory would work also.” The blonde smirked back, as her eyes burrowed into Sara, only letting up when she saw the smallest hint of hurt pass across her face. “I’m kidding.” She mumbled as she leaned back in her stool.

 

“Good because it’s quite rude to insult your date, Agent Sharpe! Didn’t your Mother ever teach you that?” Sara shook any signs of hurt away, as she reached out to touch the Agent’s arms gently. Silently letting her know that she hadn’t just ruined the whole night and that she could take a joke.

 

“Oh, I can assure you that I did.” Both blonde ladies jumped and turned to find Director Pam Sharpe, glaring sternly at them. She was just what Sara had thought she would be, she was tall, blonde, a completely put together stern looking leader, basically, she was an older, more glamour version of Ava Sharpe. “Only, Ava has always marched to the beat of her own drum.”

 

“Mom...Madam Director.” Ava scrambled to stand, her posture stiff and straight “This is-”

 

“Captain Sara Lance. Yes, I know.” Her Mother interrupted sternly as she glared at the smaller blonde woman.

 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Director Sharpe.” Sara stood and held out her hand to the woman, while silently hating the fact that she had to look up slightly when she was talking to the older woman.

 

“I would say the feeling is mutual...but then I think about the time you stole from my Bureau.” Director Sharpe spat at the now uncomfortable pair. Ava knew that this wasn’t just her taking a shot at Sara, it was also a reminder of the biggest failure of her career.

 

“Technically, I was taking back my ship,” Sara spoke up, surprising both Sharpe women.

 

“A ship that was removed from your charge after you broke time as we know it?” Pam hit back, not about to be spoken to in such an inappropriate and rude manner at her own event.

 

“You mean after I saved the world from living in a doomed reality?” The blonde Captain snorted, as she reached her hand behind to pick up her almost empty drink. “You call it what you want, and I’ll call it for what it is.” She raises her glass smugly, before knocking the rest of the harsh alcohol back. The trio fell into the most uncomfortable of silences, Ava didn’t know where to look. Her Mother’s eyes burned into Sara’s, and the small blonde didn’t show any sign of backing down.

 

“I like her.” Ava’s Mother finally spoke, shocking both Ava and Sara thoroughly. “Nice choice Sweetheart.”

 

“Mom…” The blonde Agent was mortified, as her, the scowl on her Mother’s face grew into a bright smile.

 

“What is happening?” Sara mumbled as she watched the interaction between the Mother and Daughter.

 

“What Sweetie! I’m just trying to say that I’m happy!” Pam laughed, as she pulled her daughter in for a tight hug.

 

“You’ve said it, now you can leave. Don’t you have other people you can mingle with?” Ava hissed through gritted teeth, as she uncomfortably returned the embrace, growing extremely annoyed at the look of amusement on Sara’s face.

 

“Nope!” Director Sharpe said with a pop, as she took a seat next to the shocked Captain. “Now, Miss Lance, you’ll have to tell me all about how you two came to be?”

 

“Oh, it’s an interesting story actually. I think it all started when she came onto my ship and threatened to arrest me.” Sara started, as she signaled for another bartender to pour them both a drink.

 

“This cannot be happening,” Ava mumbled, still standing looking in on the nightmare that was playing out before her very eyes. Her Mother was drinking and laughing with a Legend! No, worse, her Mother was drinking with the Captain of the Legends! The woman who had become Ava’s main source of annoyance over the last few months. It was as if Ava went into autopilot, she fell completely silent. She just simply grabbed her drink and joined the pair, reclaiming her seat beside Sara. She had never seen her Mother so invested in her life before, when she was growing up she couldn’t even have named one of her friends and now she was drinking with her unofficial date...wait, date! Her Mother must have thought the same thing everyone must have been thinking when they saw them together at the bar, the same thing her brother had hinted at.

 

“And we both hit at the same time and went flying down onto the floor.” Ava finally tuned back in, her mouth hung over slightly as she caught onto what Sara was saying, what she was implying. Sara noticed that Ava seemed to back with them, and not lost in her own little world of sheer panic. She couldn’t believe that she had finally managed to break down the blonde woman’s wall of professionalism at last. “And after that, there was this moment when I looked over at her, and something just clicked.” Sara continued, placing a hand on Ava’s free one for added effect. “I knew then that I wanted to get to know the woman behind the Agent.”

 

“That’s so sweet!” Ava’s Mother gushed, as all the color drained from Ava’s face. Sara was going out of her way just to make her suffer, and Ava was definitely going to make her pay for it whenever this nightmare was over.

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, if you’ll please proceed to the main dining room. Dinner is about to be served.” A deep voice announced, breaking through conversations throughout the large bar and in Ava’s case, saving her from whatever bonding was happening between Sara and her Mother.

 

“Oh, and that is my cue to flip the Mom switch back off. It was nice to officially meet the woman, who made this whole organization possible, and to see how happy she makes my daughter.” Pam hugged the startled Captain tight, before turning to face her daughter. “She’s a keeper this one.” The older blonde winked, taking her leave at last.

 

“What the hell was that Sara?” Ava hissed as she gripped the former assassin’s arm and pulled her away from the bar and crowds that we were passing.

 

“What? I was just making small talk with your Mother.” Sara fought back, repressing the urge to physically fight back when Ava pulled her into a secluded area of the large bar.

 

“She thinks that we are dating thanks to you!” The blonde whisper-shouted, as she released her grip on the smaller blondes arm.

 

“I never said that we were!” Sara hissed back playfully. She didn’t know why, but there was a tiny part of her that couldn’t stop trying to push the Agents buttons, but at the same time, the mere mention of an implied relationship sent jolts of excitement coursing through her whole body.

 

“You implied just as much!”

 

“I implied that I wanted to get to know you better...and I do! That’s why I’m here tonight, I’m trying to show you that it is possible for us to be friends!” The blonde Captain shrugged. She was really trying, she wasn’t used to playing nice or making an effort. But there was something about Ava, something that was worth the effort.

 

“Not when my Mother and Brother think that we are dating!” The Agents breathing was shaky, her palms sweaty. This was not how she imagined the night to pan out, she thought that they would have a drink and escape the crazy, that is their lives...but this was so much crazier than any time anachronism. “I think we should just tell them the truth...no matter how pathetic it makes me look.”

 

“Or we could have fun with it?” Sara gently reached out to comfort Ava when she saw how stressed she seemed to be. Even when the Legends were at their worst, and everything that could have gone wrong had done so, Ava was always the one Sara could guarantee would be level headed and stress-free.

 

“Do you ever take anything seriously?” The Agent snapped, just as Sara’s fingertips brushed against her arm, but the blonde’s outburst did nothing to Sara.

 

“Hear me out!” The former assassin, raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows, receiving a nervous nod from the Agent for her to continue. “I don’t know anything about your Mother, or your Brother...but they both seemed pretty happy when they thought that we were dating. When they thought that you were happy!”

 

“My Mom did flip her Mom switch on at an official event, which was a first,” Ava mumbled with a small chuckle.

 

“They want to see you happy, why don’t we give them that?” Sara smiled seductively as she swayed closer to the tall blonde, earning a smirk in response. She knew that Ava wanted this, but the problem was she didn’t know what ‘this’ was. Did Ava want a one night stand? A friendship? A relationship?

 

“You want to pretend to be my girlfriend, so I can make my family happy and shut up the jerks that I work with?” Ava mumbled in thought, as strong arms wrapped around her slender waist, catching her by surprise a little.

 

“Yes and no.” Sara purred wickedly, thankful that she had decided to go with heels instead of flats, meaning she was at perfect eye level with the blonde. “I want to help you because I want to get to know you, Ava! And if this is the only way to do it, then I’m in!”

 

“You know, there is an easier way to get to know someone?” The taller blonde responded by placing her firm hands on the blonde's hips, her own smirk planted firmly on her lips. She had a feeling where things were heading between them, she wouldn’t deny that she was utterly attracted to Sara and had thought about this moment many times before, but there was one thing that had made all those fantasies a little better than what she was feeling now...in her fantasies, it wasn’t just some facade, Sara was kissing her because she felt the same.

 

“When has a Legend ever done things the easy way?” The blonde whispered as she leaned in slowly, her body was buzzing with excitement. Every nerve was on edge, she could feel Ava lean into her, her grip tightened around the Agent’s hips as their lips grazed together. Sara was hungry for more, for something real, something fulfilling. She moved in, determined to get a proper kiss, but was disappointed when Ava pushed her back, breaking the embrace.

 

“Good point…I’m in I guess.” Ava looked like a nervous wreck, as she stood straight and fixed the now wrinkled bits of her blazer. “But we have to set some ground rules!” The blonde smirked.

 

“I love you and your rules babe.” Sara coed, as she winked playfully at the now blushing blonde.

 

“And you’ve just broken two of them already.” Ava rolled her eyes, as she shot daggers at the teasing blonde. “Come on, we’re going to miss the first course.”

 

“God forbid,” Sara smirked dramatically, as she reached out to grab Ava’s hand, lacing their fingers together effortlessly. “Is this okay?”

 

“I think I can handle a little hand holding.” Ava blushed, as they joined the still moving crowds, blending in nicely. Ava couldn’t believe how easy this felt, how perfectly their hands fit together, how no one batted an eyelid when they moved from their hiding place and joined the world again...and that kiss, if you could even call it that. It set the tall woman’s body on fire, she longed to let Sara kiss her, to have her way with her, but she didn’t want to be just another notch on Sara’s belt.

 

“Agent Sharpe…Captain Lance.” Gary stuttered as he walked over to the two blondes, their hands still joined happily.

 

“Gary.” Ava rolled her eyes, before glaring at the shorter man, daring him to mention the obvious elephant in the room.

 

“I have you at table three, it has a good view and a hassle-free walkway up to the stage.” He quickly rhymed off, as he checked Ava’s name off on a list. “You know, for when you get your awar-”

 

“Thank you, Gary.” Ava quickly cut the nerdy Agent off, dragging Sara away before he had a chance to put his foot in it anymore.

 

“Wait a second, you didn’t mention that you were getting an award…why didn’t you tell me?” Sara gasped as she allowed herself to be dragged over to the table, shooting Pam a quick wave from across the room as she passed.

 

“Because it’s not important…and really embarrassing.” The tall Agent muttered as they took their seats, letting their hands fall apart on the table and nodding at the other table occupants before turning to face each other once again.

 

“What could be so embarrassing about an award? Is it for Bureau’s best hair bun?” The blonde joked playfully, her eyes twinkling with possible insults she could throw Ava’s way. “No, Bureau’s best workaholic?”

 

“I’m not even going to humor you at this point.” Ava tried and failed to repress the smile creeping onto her lips, as the waiters moved to serve the first course.

 

“That’s fine, I can wait…honeybun!” Sara chirped, nodding as a bowl of fancy looking tomato soup was placed in front of her. “Or do you prefer Sweetie?” Sara whispered as she kissed the blonde’s cheek gently, proud of the blush planted firmly on her cheeks.

 

“Definitely going to need ground rules!” Ava mumbled, ignoring the looks of shock and amusement from her fellow Agents at the table.


	4. Chapter 4

The dinner flew by nicely. Sara stayed on her best behavior, spending the entire time racking her brain about Ava’s award, while Ava was in the middle of an inner war regarding the stupid kiss not kiss situation and what that meant for them moving forward. Ava wasn’t stupid, she knew that after tonight, everything would go back to normal between them. She knew that Sara would go back to hooking up with women and men all around the world and timeline, but there was a little part of her that wished that this was real, that Sara wasn’t just helping her out because of how pathetic she must have looked and then there were her own thoughts about their arrangement. Did she want it to last? Could she see herself actually enjoying the time spent with the blonde?

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Agents and Directors.” Ava was quickly pulled back to the world, as Rip’s English accent filled the banquet hall. “Welcome everyone to our Annual Awards Ceremony. As you know, this is an evening is used to celebrate the bravest, the brightest and the most dedicated Agents of the last year.” The English man paused for the loud onset of applause that followed.

 

“He forgot most stuck up…annoying…oddly sexy,” Sara whispered directly into Ava’s ear, sending jolts of pleasure mixed with hatred throughout her body.

 

“Shut it, Lance!” Ava hissed back, bumping her away with her shoulder for added effect, even though that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to grab her smug face and kiss the smirk away, she wanted to drag her into the bathroom and show her just how sexy she could be. But she couldn't! She couldn’t let herself be drawn into Sara’s web.

 

“Each of our awards is chosen by myself and our fantastic board of Directors. Some of which, are founding members of our organization.” Rip added as he signaled to the front table that seated Pam Sharpe, Wilbur Bennett, and Rip when he wasn’t on stage. “But also, let's not forget the group of individuals that made this Bureau possible.”

 

“I think he’s talking about my sweet ass!” Sara purred into Ava’s ear, before placing a small kiss just below her earlobe, thoroughly enjoying the effects that her teasing was having on the blonde agent.

 

“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t mean it as a compliment…and for future reference, there’s a little spot just in the crook of my neck, that really gets things going...” Ava teased right back, not letting Sara be the only one who gets to have fun at the expense of the other.

 

“You’re a tease.” The blonde winked, leaning in to try and find the special spot Ava had been talking about, thanking whatever God that was listening, for the darkness of the room. Ava let out a shaky breath, as the blondes, soft lips brushed against her neck, just above the collar. She knew that this was all part of the game, that she was only doing it to stick it to everyone that had ever bad mouthed Ava for being single, but Sara loved every moment of it regardless.

 

“This year, however, we are honored to have the Captain of our this group of individuals. A big round of applause for Captain Sara Lance.” A sudden spotlight lit up on the blonde, forcing her to quickly pull away from the agent's neck as if it was on fire. Giving a small wave to the crowd, Sara could feel her cheeks redden as the applause echoed through the large room. “But, enough from me. Let’s get on with the reason we are here.” Rip sent a small glare Sara way, having caught a glimpse of what had been going on before she pulled away. When he had heard that Sara was coming as Ava’s date, he almost didn’t believe it, considering how much the two seemed to dislike each other but after seeing that rather public display of pure lust, he happily stood corrected.

 

“I have never been so embarrassed in my life!” Ava hissed quietly at the equally mortified blonde.

 

“How was I supposed to know that a big ass spotlight was heading my way!” Sara argued back as she sank into her seat, ignoring the looking of amusement coming from the agents seated next to them. “On the bright side...at least people know now.” The blonde Captain shrugged, earning a scowl from Ava. But it was quickly washed away with a deep seeded look of relief, Sara did have a point...for once. They didn’t have to worry about anybody not buying their sudden relationship status, everyone had seen them and from the looks, Ava was getting from her fellow Agents, they actually believed they were a couple or were at least hooking up. This was Ava’s chance to break free of the tower of professionalism she herself had built up, even if just for one night. She could laugh, she could have fun. She didn’t have to be the stuck up, rule-following daughter of Director Pam Sharpe, she could just be Ava.

 

“Let the fun begin!” Ava winked, lifting her glass to clink it with Sara’s before the two women downed the last of alcohol.

 

Throughout most of the awards ceremony, Ava and Sara didn’t pay much attention to what was happening on stage, they clapped whenever others did and stood quietly during the in memoriam section, but most of the ceremony flew over their heads. They instead spent the time drinking, flirting and longing to do more than touch the small amount of exposed skin. It wasn’t until Ava’s Mother stood to present the last award of the evening, that Ava immediately regretted her decision to get extremely intoxicated with the blonde.

 

“Our last award of the evening is for a special Agent, who had proven to be an extremely determined, an extremely talented and an extremely loyal Agent.” Pam smiled proudly as she read from her prepared speech. She knew that she was hard on Ava at times, especially when it came to work, but when it came down to it, she really was proud of her and after meeting Sara, she was happy for her too. “For her work and studies on The Legends, I’m delighted to present our Exceptional Studies Award to Agent Ava Sharpe.” Sara’s jaw hit the floor when she finally heard what Ava’s award was for, she couldn’t tell if she was more smug or hurt but it was definitely a mixture of both. She buried those feelings deep down, deciding to deal with them at a different time, and instead, she stood along with Ava and hugged the blonde tightly, playing her role as the supportive girlfriend to perfection.

 

Ava quickly walked up to the small stage, trying her best not to let the room see how drunk she really was. She hugged her Mother tightly, mumbling a small thank you, she nodded at Rip, the man who had been a loving mentor to her and smirked at Wilbur Bennett. Ava had always despised that man and the feeling was mutual. Bennett thought that she didn’t deserve to be at the Bureau because of who her Mother is, and Ava had vowed to prove him wrong, this award was a step in the right direction for her.

 

“Thanks…” Ava smiled brightly at the clapping crowd, stalling for a moment as she tried to think back to the speech she had spent the week drafting, but she was coming up empty. “I am so honored and blessed to have been even considered for this award, and it still amazes me that I actually won!” The blonde smiled shyly as her eyes met Sara’s, she felt a strong heat rise in her. It finally felt like she had someone real in her corner, but at the same time, this small victory felt wrong to her. She had won something because of Sara and her team, she hadn’t done any of the real work. She wasn’t there, she didn’t save the world twice. “I know you’re supposed to thank the people you love and who inspire you, and while I am thankful to have them in my life. This award is dedicated to Sara Lance...without her and her team of Legends, I wouldn’t be standing here…this one’s for you, Sara.” Ava nodded weakly in the blonde’s direction, as the room erupted in a wave of applause, most of which Ava knew was put on because of who her Mother was. But Ava didn’t care, there was only one pair of clapping hands she cared about, and they happened to be the loudest and fastest in the crowd.

 

Armed with the rather large glass trophy, Ava made her way off the stage and back towards her seat, receiving small statements of congratulations and praise as she passed by some of the older agents, followed by looks of revulsion and jealousy from the ones closer to her own age, the ones who agreed with Bennett and thought she hadn’t earned that award or her place at the Bureau.

 

“That was quite the speech Agent Sharpe…” Sara winked as Ava finally reached their table and reclaimed her seat. “I’ve always dreamt of being someone’s muse someday.” The blonde joked as she lifted the heavy trophy, her muscles flexing as she did so, making Ava’s mouth water at the sight.

 

“I should have told you when you invited yourself as my date…sorry,” Ava mumbled in reply, once she finally stopped drooling over Sara’s perfectly shaped arms.

 

“I’m sure we can find some way for you to make it up to me…” The smaller blonde coed, as her fingers, danced their way up to her collar, pulling at it slightly as they shuffled towards each other. Ava’s world was spinning. All her colleges, her family, her mentor, all of them disappeared and all that was left was just her and Sara. Their breath mixed together, the smell of vodka and whiskey blending in a delicious concoction that filled their noses as their faces neared. Ava didn’t know if it was the thrill of being with Sara or the amount of alcohol she had consumed over the last few hours, that had her head reeling, but she was enjoying every minute of it. Thin pale fingers threaded through Ava’s bun, playing with the loose strands, twirling and tugging the blonde hair with her fingers. It was as if the world was moving in slow motion, Ava was completely consumed by the blonde, and Sara was loving every minute of it. Leaning in closer, the agent shivered as Sara hot breath intensified, closer and closer their lips moved. Ava wanted this, she knew that now. “Dance with me…” Sara whispered with a wicked smile painted on her face, as their lips were about to brush against each other, pulling Ava from the hypnosis she had been put under momentarily.

 

“You’re evil.” Ava breathed out, her face flushed and her head banging. She couldn’t believe that Sara had already gained this kind of control over her, she had never felt like this before and this wasn’t even a real relationship.

 

“If memory serves me correctly, you’re the one who didn’t want a kiss earlier.” The blonde winked as she stood and held a hand out to the taller woman. “Dance with me, Agent Sharpe.” Sara purred as Ava’s hand slid perfectly into hers.

 

Swaying slightly, the two women made their way to the small dance floor that already had a few older couples on it. The music was slow and peaceful, not that either woman noticed, they were too absorbed in each other. Sara took the lead as she wrapped her arm around Ava’s slim waist, pinching her hip gently before resting her hand on the small of her back. Their fingers laced together, as Ava draped her arm over the smaller woman’s shoulder and around her neck, playing with her hair as they swayed to the music.

 

“I never pegged you for the dancing type.” Ava joked as their joint hands moved to lay on Sara’s chest, bringing them closer together.

 

“Before The Gambit sank, I may have starred in a few musicals here and there.” Sara reluctantly admitted, a soft pink dancing across her cheeks as she spoke.

 

“Seriously?” Ava’s eyes lit up, ready to turn the tables on the Captain and subject her to the constant teasing for once.

 

“Looks like there’s still some things you don’t know about me and my team.” The blonde shot back, outdoing Ava on the teasing before she even had a chance to speak. “Maybe I’ll have to take that award back to the Waverider until you brush up on your Legends knowledge.”

 

“I am sorry.” The Agent ducked her head in shame, she could tell that Sara was annoyed even if she tried to hide it.

 

“I know.” The shorter woman mumbled as she released her grip on the taller blonde’s hips, and brought her hand up to cup her face, forcing Ava to meet her gaze. “Agent Sharpe…Ava.”

 

“Yes, Miss Lance?” Ava replied dreamily, as Sara’s gorgeous blue eyes melted her insides.

 

“If I try to kiss you...will you push me away again?” Sara whispered so quietly Ava hardly even heard her.

 

“No…” Ava whispered back, prompting Sara to lean closer, closing the gap between them at last. Soft lips brushed together, dancing as one. Ava was the one who deepened the kiss, starting the playful fight for control, that Sara obviously won. As the air around them thicken and breathing became an issue, the two blondes reluctantly pulled apart, resting their foreheads together, while they gasped to catch their breath.

 

“Wow…” Was all Sara could muster as they continued to sway along with the soft music. When Sara left the Waverider earlier that night, she had never imagined that this would be how her night would unfold. She thought she would have been counting down the hours until she could leave, but instead, she was swaying in Ava’s arms, kissing the Agent with so much passion and lust, she could hardly contain herself.

 

“Agreed.” Ava chuckled, hiding her head slightly in Sara’s shoulder.

 

“See, dating me does have perks.” The blonde teased as she pinched Ava’s hip playfully, trying to make her mark on the tall woman.

 

“Oh shut it, Lance.” Ava pulled back with a smug smirk on her lips. “I’ve surprisingly had fun tonight...thank you, Sara.”

 

“It’s what Legends do.” Sara shrugged, earning a soft nudge from Ava. “It was worth it just to see you like this.”

 

“Slightly intoxicated?” The blonde laughed nervously, as the pace of the music picked up.

 

“Relaxed! Fun…” Sara paused as she spun Ava out, twirling her around a few times before pulling her in close. “Wrapped in my arms…” She purred directly into Ava’s ear, thanking her heels for the height bump.

 

“Maybe we should be wrapped up in my sheets instead.” Ava shocked herself as the words fell from her mouth. She had no intention of sleeping with Sara before tonight, but now that the cat was out of the bag, her whole body was buzzing with excitement and arousal at the mere thought of a night with the infuriating Captain.

 

“Agent Sharpe, are you trying to seduce me into coming home with you.” Sara smiled innocently pulling away a few inches, only to be brought right back by Ava’s strong hands.

 

“Is it working?” The Agent smirked.

 

“Maybe…” Sara whispered as she moved to close the distance between them once again, only to be interrupted by the sudden sound of Pam Sharpe’s voice.

 

“Ava, Sara!” She called out, waving them over to her once they finally looked over. Hesitantly the two walked over hand in hand, faces flushed and bodies buzzing with the possibility of spending a glorious night together.

 

“Mother.” Ava nodded nervously as she reached the older blonde.

 

“I’m afraid it’s well past my bedtime, so I’ll have to say my goodbyes.” Pam smiled brightly as she looked down at their joint hands and goofy smiles. She had seen what everyone else had, she knew they were happy and fresh, stuck in the honeymoon period of their relationship and she was beaming with happiness for them.

 

“Goodnight, Director Sharpe.” Sara held out her free hand to the older blonde, hoping that she would except it this time.

 

“Call me Pam! And goodnight my dear, it’s been so lovely to finally meet the woman my daughter can’t stop talking about!” Director Sharpe bypassed her hand and instead wrapped her arms around her.

 

“Mom!” Ava moaned, as her hand was snatched away from Sara’s.

 

“Oh hush you!” Pam winked, pulling Ava in to join the uncomfortable embrace. “I’ll see you at the picnic next weekend, right?”

 

“I forgot all about that…of course, I’ll be there. ” The Agent smiled apologetically.

 

“What picnic?” Sara smiled mischief, as she reclaimed Ava’s hand.

 

“Ava didn’t tell you? It’s little Poppy’s birthday and we’re having a small get together. You’re more than welcome to join us, and it would give you a chance to meet Annie and Bill, and Paul my husband and of course Little Poppy.” Pam gushed, as quickly pulled out her phone to show the blonde a picture of a cute little brunette child. “My first granddaughter!”

 

“Aww, she’s adorable! I’d love to come if that’s okay with you honey.” Sara smiled shyly at Ava, who couldn’t believe this was happening again. She had been with fine with this being a one night only event, but this was different. Did Sara seriously think that it would be okay for her to put on this show for her whole family? Her Mother and Brother had been too much already, but for some reason, she felt compelled to nod wearily at the two blondes.

 

“Perfect! I’ll see you two love birds on Saturday then!” Pam clapped excitedly before finally leaving the two blondes alone again. Ava couldn’t speak, she wanted to, she wanted to scream and shout no, no you won’t see us on Saturday! This wasn’t supposed to happen! She wasn’t supposed to enjoy tonight, she wasn’t supposed to kiss Sara or invite her back to her home and she most certainly wasn’t supposed to extend this arrangement of theirs any further.

 

“Hey.” Sara touched Ava’s arm lovingly, when she noticed how spaced out the taller blonde looked. “You sure you’re okay with me coming on Saturday?”

 

“No...but it’s too late now.” Ava shook her head, her face was stern and her body stiff. Ava had left it and in its place was Agent Sharpe and she wasn’t happy. “I think it’s time we ended our evening.” She whispered before letting their hands fall and walking back towards their table and her award. Grabbing the glass trophy roughly, she power walked out of the banquet hall, straight through the bar - waving at her Daniel as she passed - and out to the front steps of the hotel.

 

“Ava...I couldn’t just say no to her!” Sara shouted, having followed her swiftly through the hotel.

 

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you Miss Lance?” Agent Sharpe snapped, catching the Captain off guard.

 

“Oh, so we’re back to Miss Lance again are we?” Sara snapped right back, not going to show the blonde Agent any sign of weakness. She knew that Ava didn’t want anything real with her, but she didn’t think that she hated her that much to go off on one like she was doing.

 

“Look, let’s just get Saturday out of the way and then forget all about this nightmare!” Ava shouted, but regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She had really enjoyed herself with Sara, and while most of it had been down to the alcohol, she couldn’t deny that Sara’s company had been rather pleasant. But she had gone too far, she had put her in a horrible position, one that Ava didn’t know how to get out of without looking like the biggest loser to ever walk the earth. “Goodbye Miss Lance.” She said quickly as she hailed a cab, and turned her back on the hurt blonde.

 

“Goodnight Agent Sharpe…” Sara mumbled before walking away, feeling like her heart had just been ripped out and threw into a fire.


	5. Chapter 5

Sara was pissed. No, she was furious. She couldn’t believe the nerve of Ava, she was the one who was practically begging Sara to come home with her, and then bam! Agent douchebag came back and left her standing alone in the street. She was beyond angry, so Sara did what she did best, she threw herself into work and that might not have been the best idea. She was on edge and the crew was cursing Ava’s name because of it. The ship went from a carefree, fun work/living place to a literal nightmare. The tiniest thing would set the blonde woman off and god help who was on the receiving end of her wrath.

 

“Ray!” Sara bellowed, her voice echoing through the ship. Today had started off as a good day, it had marked four days since her night out with Ava and she wasn’t going to let it have a hold over her anymore. But when the Legends are involved, a good day for Sara can quickly turn into a bad one. Like today, they were anachronism-free, and everyone was enjoying the rarity of a day off. Nate and Amaya were having a little lovey-dovey time, Zari was in the middle of a guitar hero marathon and Sara was beating the crap out of a punching bag with Ava’s face taped to it. But nothing good can last on the Waverider, and the oddest friendship on the ship had just unintentionally caused a level twelve anachronism.

 

“Mick made me do it!” He squealed as the feisty Captain walked onto the brig.

 

“I don’t care if the freakin’ Pope called you up for a favor! Anything that happens on this ship, goes through me first!” Sara stopped the shouting for just a second, she knew that this constant reprimand over the last few days was unfair and not their fault, so the former assassin channeled her breathing and calmed herself down before continuing. “Let’s start from the beginning. What the hell happened?”

 

“Well…”

 

***

Ava was miserable. When Monday morning rolled around, she thought she would walk into work with a few extra springs in her steps. She had planned on smirking about Friday night, about her award, about Sara...but she couldn’t even bring herself to smile. She had overreacted and blew up on Sara for something that wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t invited herself, she didn’t just say yes. She looked to her for permission, and she gave it. A part of her really wanted Sara around as much as possible, but she knew that it wouldn’t last. Eventually, the blonde would get bored of playing make-believe and end their arrangement for something real with someone else, something better than Ava. And then there was the part of her that was embarrassed beyond belief, she had practically thrown herself at Sara the whole night and then after that kiss, her whole body was aching with arousal and need for the blonde. Ava had never felt this way about anyone before, she had never felt the desire to invite someone back to her home, to her bed. But Sara was different, in Ava’s mind she was the only one who had earned the spot next to Ava, in her bed. But none of that mattered anymore, after the picnic on Saturday everything would be over between them and things would go back to normal. That was the best thing for them, it had to be.

 

“Umm...Agent Sharpe.” Gary nervously poked his head into Ava’s rather large office. The man was slowly but surely, becoming the blondes own personal assistant, and while that wasn’t what he was hired for Ava wasn’t going to let up on him any time soon, especially since the majority of her current problems with Sara started with him.

 

“What do you want Gary?!” The blonde snapped, making the lanky man jump and scramble further into the room.

 

“It’s...The Legends.” He winched, not knowing how Ava would react, considering her newfound relationship with the Captain of the Legends.

 

“What about them?” Ava snarled as she rubbed her temples, trying to stifle an oncoming headache, that would match the heartache she was feeling.

 

“They seemed to have caused a level twelve…” Gary mumbled as he saw the inner battle that his boss was having. He had a feeling that this would happen, it was the same look that other agents had when they started inner-bureau dating.

 

“Of course, they have.” The blonde mumbled as she finally stopped her work to look fully at the trembling man. “What exactly is happening?” She snapped at Gary’s silence.

 

“We don’t have all the details at the minute. All I know is it involves the Great Wall of China 1834 and a giant monkey.” Gary did his best not to laugh. He had always enjoyed hearing of all the adventures the Legends had been on, much to Ava’s annoyance.

 

“Get a team together, we’re going monkey hunting,” Ava smirked, using this as the perfect excuse to see Sara and explain everything, even if the blonde didn’t want to hear it.

 

***

 

“Amaya, what's your status?” Sara asked through coms. Everyone had agreed it would be best if Sara took a more observatory role in this mission and she had reluctantly agreed. The plan was that Amaya and Zari would use their totems to distract the gorilla while Ray, Mick, and Nate used a sneak attack approach from the back, and the shrink ray to contain the problem.

 

“Working on it boss!” Amaya shouted back sounding breathless and tired, as she dodged another swing of the gorilla’s arm.

 

“Sara! You’re not gonna like this!” Ray’s voice and the sound of lasers flying filled the brig.

 

“Like what?!” She snarled back, still slightly annoyed at the brunette man.

 

“Captain, we are receiving a transmission from the Mothership.” Gideon interrupted breaking the news that Ray was about to share, which he was really grateful for.

 

“Put her on Gideon!” Sara hissed as her blood started to boil. She had been tempted to call Ava several times over the last few days, but she knew that her temper would get the better of her and make matters worse. However, now that it was Ava contacting her, she was ready to let it all out, especially after the day she was currently having.

 

“Captain Lance,” Ava’s face showed no emotion as she spoke like Friday night didn’t happen. They hadn’t kissed, or dance, they didn’t have fun or laugh together. Nothing.

 

“Agent Sharpe. Come to visit your favorite study subjects?” Sara spat back while leaning back against the control panel with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

 

“We’re here to help Captain Lance. Call off your team and let mine take care of this.” The Agent shot back, ignoring Sara’s petty comments while trying to hide to look of hurt creeping onto her face. She knew she deserved everything Sara had to throw at her, but it didn’t stop it from hurting any less.

 

“Make me.” The Captain challenged, smirking wickedly. “My team has a handle on this, so why don’t you take your stupid ship and go back to 2018!” Sara shouted before Ava ended the transmission abruptly, which only angered the smaller blonde even more.

 

“Gideon cut transmission to coms!” Ava announced as she opened a portal onto the Waverider.

 

“Gideon ignore Agent Sharpe’s request!” Sara shot back glaring furiously at the blonde Agent.

 

“Gideon activate Bureau override protocol and shut off the coms.” The taller woman laughed victoriously, as Sara’s smug expression fell.

 

“Override protocol activated, communication systems deactivated.” Gideon monotonically spoke, her voice filling the awkward silence momentarily. The two women stared deeply at each other, waiting to see who would back down and break the silence first. Sara was beaming with fury, Ava could feel it radiating over. She had a feeling the blonde Captain would be feeling like this towards her and she had prepared herself for it, but it still stung when their eyes met, and all Ava could see was hurt and disgust.

 

“I think we should talk about Friday night.” Ava broke first, not being able to handle the way Sara was looking at her.

 

“I don’t have time; my team needs me.” Sara spat back a little softer this time. She wanted to talk to Ava, wanted to know what the hell was going through her head that night. She needed answers, she deserved that much. But she couldn’t bring herself to listen to the blonde, especially when even the thought of her made her skin crawl with need. The need to punch something, to shout and scream...the need to kiss her senseless, the need to hold her once again.

 

“Let my team help, please Sara...I need to explain.” Ava smiled weakly at the furious blonde, trying to soften her up a bit more. Sara was intimidating enough when she was in a good mood, so her being this angry truly scared the blonde Agent.

 

“Fine. Call your team and then meet me in the gym. If we’re going to talk, I’m gonna need something to punch that’s not your face!” The Captain hissed as she stormed out of the main deck, banging into Ava as she did so.

 

Sara’s head was reeling as she stormed down narrow corridors of the Waverider, she wanted to stop and punch the metal pipes that lined the walls, but she refrained and instead headed straight for the gym and punched the hanging bag with all her might as soon as she entered the room.

 

“My face?” Ava muttered, having followed closely and quickly behind Sara. Moving out of the way, Sara revealed the crinkled picture of Ava. “Quite literally.” She added as she closed the door to the gym.

 

“It’s almost as satisfied as hitting the real thing.” Sara snarled as she turned to hit the bag once again.

 

“I deserve that.” Ava agreed while walking closer to the bag, giving it a soft punch herself.

 

“No, you don’t…” Sara whispered back sadly, before letting her head hang slightly, this wasn’t who she was. She didn’t hold things over people, especially not things as stupid as this. “I mean, what you did was pretty shitty, but you don’t deserve this.” She added as she ripped the picture off the bag, crumpled it up and threw it across the room.

 

“How many of them have you went through so far?” The blonde jokingly asked, trying to break the tension between them slightly.

 

“About twelve at this point I think.” Sara laughed nervously, as she kicked the padded mats. “What the hell was that Ava? Why did you flip out on me?”

 

“Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t know why?” The blonde sighed, while reaching up to undo the tight bun in her hair, her head was sore enough and that stupid hair bun really wasn’t helping.

 

“That’s bullshit Ava and you know it!” Sara spat, feeling the anger start to build up once again. She just wanted an explanation, even if it wasn’t the whole truth, she needed to know something and that wasn’t cutting it.

 

“I know…this wasn’t how things were supposed to turn out Sara.” Ava started, only pausing so that she could take a seat on a nearby bench. “You weren’t supposed to hit it off with my family, you weren’t supposed to be invited to family picnics…”

 

“I asked you before I said yes!” The Captain counterattacked as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to resist the urge to punch something again, knowing that hitting things hadn’t gotten her anywhere so far. “And it’s not my fault that Sharpe’s seem to find me irresistible.” She added with a smug smirk playing on her lips.

 

“Must be the arms…” Ava muttered, quietly praying that Sara didn’t hear her, but much to Sara’s enjoyment she did and chose to stay silent and bank on that little nugget of information for a later time. Shaking the thoughts of Sara’s arms…lips…body, from her mind, Ava quickly got back on topic, thankful that they seemed to be making some kind of progress. “I couldn’t have said no in front of my Mother, and then boom, you were suddenly dragged into something I wasn’t even that keen on attending.”

 

“I get that, and I’m sorry that you feel that way. But that doesn’t excuse why you suddenly went from inviting me back to your place to leaving me standing at the hotel, alone.” The smaller woman snarled, having flashbacks to how horrible she felt on the walk back to the jump ship, and how miserable she was for the remainder of the weekend. “It hurt Ava…to just be thrown aside like a piece of rubbish.”

 

“I-I didn’t intend to make you feel that way…everything, it just started to become real I guess.” The Agent stuttered as the weight of the guilt she was feeling came crashing down on her, choking her, bruising her, punishing her.

 

“Real?” Sara spoke softly as she noticed how apologetically honest Ava was finally being with her. 

 

“Yeah…you went from being a rouse, a tool to one-up the idiots I work with, to…someone I could see myself-”

 

“Sleeping with? Being with?” Sara interrupted, giving off the feeling that she was on the same page as the taller blonde woman.

 

“Something like that…” Ava mumbled with a shrug, before letting out a sigh of annoyance. “It just felt like I finally had someone on my side, someone who got me…but, then I remembered that none of that was real, and I got mad. Mad at myself, and I took it out on you…I’m so sorry Sara.”

 

“It could have been…it could be…real,” Sara added as she took a seat next to the blonde, reaching out ever so slightly to brush their fingers together.

 

“What are you saying, Sara?” The taller nervous blonde whispered while lacing their hands together, enjoying the feeling of Sara’s soft hand wrapped around hers once again.

 

“I meant everything I said to you on Friday night…I agreed to help you because I want to get to know you, Ava.” The blonde Captain spoke gently as she stroked the back of the blonde Agents hand gently, feeling the hard thud of her heart get faster with each movement. “I want to be the one in your corner! We could both use someone like that these days…so, what do you say? Friends?”

 

“Friends? I’m pretty sure friends don’t pretend to date each other, or kiss on a rather crowded dance floor.” Ava joked, bumping shoulders with the blonde for added effect.

 

“Or invite them back to their homes for a night of naked fun?” Sara playfully poked the Agent in the stomach, as she winked wickedly taking pleasure in the embarrassment of the blonde.

 

“And what a night it would have been if it wasn’t for my Mother and her cockblocking.” The blonde added, causing the pair to erupt into a fit of laughter.

 

“Give it time, I’ll manage to worm my way into Ava Sharpe’s sheets…but, until then-” Sara turned slightly to face the blonde, reaching out to gently caress her cheek. “Ready for your first ever friend Agent Sharpe?”

 

“I have had friends before Captain Lance!” Ava couldn’t help roll her eyes at the blonde, just happy that they had put Friday night behind them. “I don’t think I can be your friend Sara.” She whispered, her eyes filled to the brim with lust and desire for the blonde. All week long she couldn’t stop thinking about her lips, her body, and now that she was sitting in front of her, right within her reach…she needed her.

 

“Why’s that Agent Sharpe?” Sara coed playing coy, thoroughly enjoying where this was heading.

 

“I think you know why Miss Lance.” Ava purred back, as she threaded her free hand through Sara’s soft blonde locks.

 

“Why don’t you show me?” The smaller blonde whispered as their lips were about to touch. Unable to wait anymore, Ava quickly slammed their lips together buzzing with excitement as Sara’s mouth moved with hers as one. In one swift movement, Ava pulled the smaller blonde onto her lap, deepening the kiss as their hands explored clumsily, both scared to find a way underneath clothes, in case it was too much too soon for the other.

 

“Do you have a room on this ship or what?” Ava breathed out as they pulled back slightly, both gasping for air and hungry for more.

 

“You’re the Legends expert, you tell me.” Sara winked before moving in for another, less rushed kiss.

 

“Are you ever going to let me live that down?” The blonde Agent asked in between kisses, as Sara’s hands finally made the brave move to begin to unbutton her shirt.

 

“Nope!” Sara purred, the need and desire laced in her voice. “Off! Now!” She added as she tugged Ava’s tucked in shirt out from her pants.

 

“Oh God, I like it when you're bossy.” The Agent stuttered, as she threw her blazer across the room and began to help Sara with the buttons of her shirt while enjoying the attack Sara was carrying out on her neck, that she knew would most definitely leave a bruise or two. Just as they reached the last button, the door to the gym flew open, and an audible gasp from Sara’s team echoed through the small room as the two blondes scrambled away from each other.

 

“What the hell guys!” Sara hissed her face beet red with embarrassment and anger.

 

“Sorry Captain, we thought something was wrong when coms went down, and The Time Bureau took over…but I guess we can see why now.” Ray was the only one who could even form words and while they did earn him a head slap from Amaya on Sara’s behalf, Sara was quite impressed by his courage.

 

“Out now!” Sara ordered, sending the entire team quickly running away terrified of what was to happen to them once Ava left. “I am so sorry…I don’t think any of them actually know what personal space or privacy is.”

 

“It’s fine really…I should be heading back to the ship though.” Ava smiled sweetly, as she walked over to pick her discarded blazed off the ground. “Look Sara, as much as we both wanted this…I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

 

“Yeah…I know. Friends don’t sleep together, I get it.” Sara nodded weakly when she really wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that she wanted more. But she knew that it was obviously too much too soon for Ava.

 

“Please try and stay out of trouble Miss Lance, I’d hate to have to reprimand you before Saturday.” Ava nodded knowingly at the blonde, who sent a mock salute at her.

 

“I’ll see you then…oh and Ava.” Sara quickly spoke before Ava had a chance to open a portal back to her own ship. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what could have happened too.” She added with a wink, before exiting the gym, only to find Amaya waiting for her down the hallway, with a huge smirk on her face.

 

“So, I take it you two made up?” She joked, recalling the endless amounts of Ava bashing she had to sit through over the last few days.

 

“Shut your mouth!” Sara added both playfully and seriously at the same time. “Gideon call a team meeting in my office in five. I think it’s time we had another discussion on personal space and privacy on the ship!”


	6. Chapter 6

Ava was surprisingly looking forward to the day she was about to spend with her family and Sara. If she was being completely honest, it was the Sara element she was looking forward to more than anything. They hadn’t talked much since they made up, Sara had kept her promise and the Legends had been on their best behavior and in no need of a reprimand. Ava almost wished that they hadn’t, she wanted them to mess something up, just so she could have an excuse to visit Sara, just to see her smirk and feel that buzzing warmth in her stomach again. She knew what these feelings meant, she wasn’t stupid. Her school girl like crush on the blonde Captain had reached an entirely new level and that scared the living crap out of her. Ava couldn’t act on these feelings, no matter how her body ached for Sara. They were colleagues, friends, people who occasionally shared a kiss or two - something Ava knew she had to put a stop to as well, eventually - but nothing else, they could never be anything else, no matter much Ava wanted them to be.

 

During one of the few times Ava had talked to Sara that week, the blonde Captain had insisted on picking Ava up at her apartment and driving them to her parents, allowing Ava the security of knowing she could have a drink or two while with her family if she wanted too, and the blonde Agent had a feeling she would be needing too. She had never brought anyone home to meet her family before, and while Sara had already met Daniel and her Mother, she was still nervous about how the blonde would be with the rest of the Sharpe clan.

 

Ava had always been a daddy’s girl, she was the first born and for a good few years, it was just her. She did everything with her Father, she watched him fix cars up, handed him tools when he was doing work around the house and accompanied him on lots of fishing trips, and then when she had gotten older and dating became a thing, he took a step back. He didn’t want to know about the boyfriends Ava had, and after she came out to her family he was so happy that he wouldn’t have to worry about some man stealing her away from him. In a crazy turn of events her coming out, actually brought her closer to her Father once again and she was so thankful for that, considering the amount of horror stories she had heard about other people’s coming out’s not going too great. The blonde Agent had a feeling that her Father and Sara would get along great, they had the same sort of humor and boldness about them, but at the same time, that could be the very reason that they could clash with one another. They were both hotheads, and very opinionated. One wrong move from either of them could result in war between the pair, that not even Ava could tame.

 

It was just after noon when Ava heard a rather loud knock at her door, she was mid-way through getting ready and had yet to pick out a shirt to go with her jean shorts, noting that it was way too early for it to be Sara, she decided that the best thing to do was to ignore it and focus on getting ready. She had been up all night trying to find the perfect outfit, and she was still struggling. Sara had never seen her in ‘normal’ clothes before, and she wanted something that didn’t scream Time Bureau stiff, as Sara liked to call her. She wanted something sexy yet not too revealing – this was a family event after all – she wanted to leave the blonde speechless, just like Sara had done at the ceremony. The knocking began to intensify, worrying the blonde Agent and prompting her to run to the door forgetting that she was topless.

 

“What the hell is so importa-” Ava froze as her eyes met with gorgeous blue pools, and striking smirk. “Sara!” She breathed out, taking in Sara’s outfit for the day. She wore short red shorts that clung to her bottom perfectly, a flowing cream shirt tied at the bottom exposing a small amount of skin and the faint outline of her glorious abs. Her hair was in loose curls, with her sunglasses placed lazily on top of her head.

 

“Now I’m glad I came early,” Sara smirked as she leaned against the door, crossing her arms smugly across her chest.

 

“I guess now we’re even.” Ava finally spoke as she mimicked Sara’s actions, only leaning against the opposite side of the doorframe.

 

“Technically if we’re going to be even, you’ll have to take those off.” The Captain winked as she gently reached a hand out to tug on the waistband of Ava’s shorts, pulling the blonde closer.

 

“What happened to just friends?” The blonde Agent laughed, surprised by the force Sara used to bring her closer.

 

“We can be friends tomorrow, but for today I’m all yours...remember?” Sara purred, whispering the last word directly into Ava’s ear.

 

“You’re unbelievable sometimes, you that right?”

 

“Are you going to invite me in or what?” She whispered as she snaked her arms tightly around her waist, and Ava moved to let her arms hang loosely around Sara’s neck.

 

“Nope!” Ava playfully said. “I’m more of an in the hallway kind of girl…” She purred, leaning in to close the distance between them, lips only getting a chance to brush gently against each other before they heard an ungodly loud cough from behind them forcing Ava to quickly jump out of Sara’s embrace. “Mrs. Mongomery!”

 

“Miss Sharpe! I expect this kind of behavior from the animals upstairs.” The old lady from next scolded, turning the Agent into a tall, walking tomato.

 

“The Johnson Twins?” Ava mumbled as she practically wrapped her arms around her chest, trying to create her own little turtle shell to crawl into.

 

“The monsters!” Mrs. Mongomery shouted with fury in her eyes. “I didn’t expect this kind of behavior from you Ava!”

 

“Sorry, I won’t let it happen again.” The Agent quickly squeaked out, being sure not to look at Sara whatsoever, knowing that if she did she’d only end up bursting out laughing and angering the older woman even more.

 

“I hope not!” She huffed out before beginning to walk away, sending evil eyes at Sara as she passed.

 

“Who was that?!” Sara laughed out after a few seconds had passed and she had deemed the coast clear.

 

“My next door neighbor! She is never going to let me live this down!” Ava quickly hid her face in her hands, ready to curl up into a ball and die. Gently she felt Sara’s strong arms around her once again, as she pulled her in close.

 

“With any luck, she’ll convince herself that it was one of the Johnson twins instead.” Sara jokingly whispered, as she gently stroked the agents back.

 

“There’s only one problem with that plan,” Ava mumbled, pulling away slightly to face the blonde. “The Johnson twins are seven...and male.”

 

“Then I guess you’re screwed.” The blonde Captain shrugged, as she continued to laugh at Ava’s expense.

 

“That was kind of the idea…” The blonde winked back in response, stunning Sara into silence for once. “Would you like to wait inside while I finish getting ready, Miss Lance?” She smirked as she walked into the apartment, not even bother to wait for a reply.

 

“Nice place you’ve got here Ave’!” Sara shouted as Ava disappeared into the bedroom to finish getting ready, leaving Sara to explore. The walls were bare and white, with only a single shelf next to the tv. The shelf in question held family photos, a few pictures of a small child and her award from the week previous. The space was large, bigger than most apartments Sara had ever seen, it had a nice few of the city and was decorated to Ava standard perfection.

 

“Thanks, this was my first purchase with my Bureau paycheque!” The blonde explained as she walked out of her bedroom, now fully dressed in a floral button-up short-sleeved shirt and her shorts. “I figured it would be best if I wasn’t living and working with my Mother.”

 

“Wait, all this only cost one paycheque?” Sara asked in amazement, while secretly checking Ava.

 

“Once you become a full-time Agent you get a really big bonus.” The blonde explained with an eye roll, before looking down at her watch. “What are you doing here this early? You know the party doesn’t start for like another two hours.”

 

“Ahh Yes, I needed your help with something super important!” The blonde Captain winked playfully, as she moved closer to the blonde.

 

“And what might that be Miss Lance? Other than a quick booty call, because that seems to be the only thing on your mind today.” Ava smirked as she happily wrapped her arms around Sara, feeling the most at home she’s ever felt.

 

“I need to go toy shopping…” The blonde whispered before placing a small kiss on Ava’s cheek. “I’ve been trying to think of a present for your niece all week and I’ve come up with nothing.”

 

“You want me to bring you toy shopping?” Ava asked in disbelief as she gently played with one of Sara’s curls.

 

“Well, I can’t show up empty-handed to a kids birthday party! I may be a former assassin, but I’m not a monster!” Sara joked as she pinched Ava’s hips playfully. She wanted nothing more than to throw the blonde down on the couch beside and rip her clothes off, but she could tell that this day was important for her, so she refined.

 

“You’re adorable sometimes, you know that right?” Ava spoke without thinking, making her blush furiously when she had realized what she’d said. “I mean…”

 

“Shh…” Sara placed her finger gently over the blonde's lips. “I think you’re pretty adorable yourself, especially when you’re all flustered like this.” She winked as she removed her finger, placing it with her lips instead. Ava happily melted into the kiss, she had been looking forward to them all week and this one definitely lived up to expectations.

 

“Sara...I think after tonight...we should talk.” Ava whispered, earning a look of confusion from the smaller blonde. She knew that they couldn’t keep doing this, they couldn’t keep pretending, not while Ava was falling hard and fast for the blonde Captain.

 

“Okay, we can talk…” Sara spoke sadly, having a good idea what kind of conversation Ava wanted to have with her. “But first, we need to go toy shopping or we’re gonna be late!” The blonde quickly changed her tune as she stole one more kiss from Ava, wanting to savor them as much as possible, considering this day might be last time she got to feel those soft lips against hers.

 

“We go in and out!” Ava started, feeling the need to give Sara the same speech she gives her niece. While she moved to grab her own large present off the coffee table, she had originally planned on sticking Sara’s name on the label as well, but she thought it was cute that the blonde wanted to buy her own gift. “No browsing, no trying anything out!”

 

“Sir yes, sir!” Sara joked as she laced her fingers with Ava’s, practically pulling her out of the apartment. “Did I mention, that I like it when you’re bossy?” She winked as skipped out of the building. Today was going to be a good day, Sara could tell.


	7. Chapter 7

Sara Lance was the worst person to go shopping with. A statement that a handful of people would be quick to agree with, but Ava was, unfortunately, finding that out for herself first hand. They had already been at the large toy megastore for half an hour, but to the blonde Agent, it felt like an eternity. Sara had made a point of analyzing every shelf in every aisle, taking note of the newer toys, and the ones she had remembered from her own childhood. She spent ten minutes sampling new games consoles and was definitely returning to the store to purchase a Nintendo Switch when they had the neon one back in stock. But, even after a painstakingly long time at the store, she was no closer to finding a toy good enough for a first impression kids party, in Sara opinion anyway. Ava had pointed out several different toys that she knew her niece would love, but none of them were perfect in Sara’s eyes. This wasn’t her first time around kids, she had been a babysitter for a few summers before the Gambit sank, but for some reason, she felt uncharacteristically nervous. She needed today to go perfectly, and in order for it to get off on the right foot, she needed the perfect present.

 

“Sara!” Ava moaned as the blonde placed yet another toy back on the shelf, changing her mind after spending a solid five minutes convincing herself that it was perfect. “The last twenty toys have been perfect! So just pick something so we can get going!”

 

“Patience Agent Sharpe,” Sara winked as she picked up a large My Little Pony set. “These things have gotten a whole lot cuter over the years.” She commented with a smirk.

 

“I’ll agree with you on that one,” Ava shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips. She would never admit it out loud, but she was actually having a little bit of fun with Sara, even though she loathed shopping at the best of times. “The movie wasn’t so bad either.” She added as she plucked up a Princess Luna teddies, popping Sara’s nose with it gently.

 

“There’s a movie?!” She gasped excitedly, Ava couldn’t tell whether she was being sarcastic or not, she was too lost in how adorable Sara looked to worry too much about it. “We definitely need to have a movie night sometime soon! I used to love this show growing up.”

 

“Have I ever mentioned how adorable you are?” The blonde woman smirked lovingly as she placed the teddy back on the shelf.

 

“Once or twice...but that stays between us! I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” Sara laughed, as she puffed out her chest. But the sight was more cute than intimidating.

 

“I wouldn’t dare mess with perfection.” Ava smiled brightly, before stealing a small kiss from the small blonde.

 

“Oh, so I’m perfect now as well?” The Captain couldn’t help but smirk smugly as she placed the toy set down and wrapped her arms around the tall Agent.

 

“Perfect study subject obviously,” Ava said sternly, as she laced her fingers through Sara’s hair.

 

“Obviously.” Sara mocked as their lips brushed together gently. “Speaking of study subjects, when do I get to know more about Ava Sharpe?”

 

“What do you want to know?” Ava smiled, fighting back the urge to attack Sara with her lips.

 

“Now that’s a dangerous question.” The smaller blonde bit her lip as she pulled away, to go back to her toy hunt.

 

“I trust you Sara, and it is only fair that you gain some insight.” Ava followed her hand resting on the small of Sara’s back as they walked down the aisle.

 

“So you’re giving me a free pass to ask whatever I like?” The blonde smiled brightly, thankful that Ava was behind her so she couldn’t see how sickeningly happy she looked.

 

“To a point, yes,” Ava whispered, squeezing Sara’s hip slightly. “So, I’ll ask again. What do you want to know Miss Lance?” The Agent forcefully turned the smaller blonde to face her once again, just to make sure Sara knew the seriousness of her words. She knew that if this ‘friendship’ of theirs was ever going to take off or last, it couldn’t be all one-sided and Ava knew enough about the blonde Captain to fill three novels at least.

 

“So much!” Sara winked excitedly before a large display caught her attention. “But first, how does Poppy feel about slime?” The smaller blonde smirked before taking off towards the large display, with a thoroughly amused Ava hot on her heels.

 

***

 

After finally picking out a few things that Ava ensured Poppy would enjoy, the pair set off again. Sara always enjoyed driving, before her life had taken a turn that is. She would always sneak out at night and just drive, she loved the feeling of the wind flowing through her hair and being able to escape the city life for at least a little while. Late night radio shows were her favorite, and she still tuned into some of them during the nights when she couldn’t sleep. Ava’s parents lived about an hour away from the city, Sara couldn’t help but smile as the tall buildings slowly turned into fields of green and white-fenced houses.

 

The blonde Agent didn’t talk much in the car, only offering up some directions now and again. They didn’t need to speak, the silence was a welcomed comfort for the busy women. Instead, they just took in their surroundings, enjoyed the music playing on the radio and fought the urge to reach out and touch each other. The feeling had been a strong and mutual one, ever since they left the toy store. For Ava it had been torture, she wished she could reach out and place her hand on Sara’s exposed thigh and just rest it there as the blonde woman drove, but she knew that an action so domestic and couple-ish would just make the conversation she was planning on having later, a tad confusing. She didn’t want to end this, but she knew that it wasn’t right. She couldn’t keep lying to everyone, lying to herself. This wasn’t just an arrangement anymore, she hated to admit it but she was falling hard and fast. Sara had suddenly become all she could think about, and the only person she wanted to be around all day, every day. She wanted to wake up next to Sara and fall asleep in her strong arms. She wanted movie nights curled up on the sofa and candlelit dinners. She wanted someone in her corner, someone who would stand by her no matter what. Someone who would listen to her moan about work, and hold her hand through all the family events she was forced to attend. She wanted Sara, and she knew that she could never have her.

 

“Hey…” Ava jumped slightly as she heard the sweet sound of the blonde woman beside her fill the small car. “Where did you go just now?” The blonde asked sweetly, as she changed gear.

 

“Just thinking…” Ava muttered back, sending a small smile Sara’s way.

 

“That’s a dangerous thing, Agent Sharpe.” Sara joked, earning a scowl from the taller blonde. “What were you thinking about?” She asked nicely, turning to face Ava for a small moment before concreting back on the road.

 

“Nothing really.” The blonde Agent smiled sadly, not wanting to get into it just yet. Sara nodded, having a gut-wrenching feeling what was going through the Agent's head.

 

“Fine...I’ve been doing a bit of thinking myself actually.” The Captain clicked her tongue against her teeth as she continued on the conversation.

 

“Now that really is a dangerous thing, remember where your last brainwave got you?” Ava smirked and raised an accusing eyebrow at the small blonde.

 

“It worked out, in the end, didn’t it!” Sara quickly jumped to her own defense.

 

“True.”

 

“As I was saying...I think I know what my first question is!” The blonde smirked playfully, her tone light and eyes full of amusement.

 

“Oh Lord, it's going to be something brutally embarrassing...isn’t it?” The taller woman cringed as she thought up all the possible questions Sara could be thinking of.

 

“Now, I could have gone down that route...but I thought I’d take it easy on you to start with.” Sara chuckled as she reached her hand over towards Ava, letting her hand fall gently onto the woman’s leg, giving it a small squeeze lovingly.

 

“Thank you. What’s your question then? Hit me with it!” Ava blushed as Sara began to absentmindedly rub her hand up and down her thigh.

 

“Well, it’s simple really. You know how I ended up a Legend, I want to know how you ended up at Bureau?” The former assassin’s eyes flickered over to meet Ava’s momentarily.

 

“Isn’t It obvious?”

 

“I know for a fact it isn’t because of your Mother is the director! So spill.” Sara demanded, squeezing the blonde's leg a little harder to get her point across.

 

“Honestly?”

 

“Honestly!” Sara smiled brightly wishing she had of kept this question for a time when she could actually look Ava in the eyes, but there was no going back now.

 

“I was a personal trainer when my Mom first started the Bureau. Then, one day she came home in a foul mood.” Ava started, earning a small giggle from Sara at the mention of her former profession.

 

“I have a funny feeling what day that was…” The blonde let out a knowing sigh, as she drew small circles on the inside of Ava’s thigh, driving the blonde woman crazy with every movement.

 

“The day you broke time as we know it? Yep!” She nodded smugly before continuing. “Anyway, she threw this large file on the table and my curiosity got the better of me.”

 

“So you joined because of us?” Sara’s face held a shy smile for a split second before she quickly covered it up with her signature smirk.

 

“Kind of...after that day I snuck into my Mothers office and found everything I could about the Legends. I read every report I could find and did research into all of your backgrounds...until one day my Mother caught me with one of her files.” Ava frowned at the memories of that day. The look of disappointment that fell on her Mother’s face when she caught her sprawled out on the carpet engrossed in a mountain of paperwork, still haunted her dreams sometimes.

 

“Was she pissed?”

 

“Beyond pissed. We weren’t supposed to know what she did, not really. So, me reading those classified files, didn’t go down so well.” She explained, earning a look of sympathy from the smaller blonde.

 

“What she do?” Sara whispered, her mind already filled with horrible situations that could have occurred.

 

“She gave me a choice. Either forget the Legends forever or join her in fixing their mistakes.” Ava sighed heavily. She had never told anyone that story before, not even Rip - her only kind of friend at the Bureau - she didn’t know why, but she trusted Sara. Trusted that she wouldn’t use this against her in the future, or break her confidence and share the news with her teammates.

 

“Woah, so she basically forced you into the Bureau?” Sara hissed the look of anger obvious on her face.

 

“Forced...no. She gave me an out, an out she wanted me to take. But I couldn’t just forget, I wanted to know more.” Ava spoke sweetly as she placed her hand over Sara’s, letting their fingers lace together.

 

“And now you’re on a date with the Captain of the Legends.” The blonde chuckled, although Ava could tell that a part of her was still annoyed and in a way, Ava felt the same way sometimes. On days when she’d hate her job, she would curse her Mother’s name for giving her that choice.

 

“Funny how things work out in the end, huh?” Ava muttered giving Sara’s hand a tight squeeze, before leaning her head against the car window.

 

“Thank you for telling me, Ava...I guess I really am your muse.” Sara joked smugly as she struggled to steer the wheel with one hand, but she managed without her other hand, not quite ready to let go of Ava’s just yet.  

 

“Oh, shut it!” The taller blonde exclaimed, slapping Sara’s hand gently. “I actually didn’t read your file until I was an Agent.”

 

“You didn’t?”

 

“I was about to start it when I got caught.” Ava shrugged.

 

“Guess that’s for the best, probably would have put you right off the job.” Sara frowned, sliding her hand out of Ava’s and placing it back on the steering wheel.

 

“And why do you think that?” The Agent turned in her seat, tucking one leg under the other as she studied the blonde woman.

 

“It’s not exactly a nice read, is it?” Sara mumbled refusing to look at Ava. The past was the past, and the blonde woman didn’t like to think about it much.  

 

“You’ve had a few hard times,” Ava agreed, but her voice held no judgment.

 

“Hard? Not exactly how I would put it.” The Captain snorted, her knuckles white against the steering wheel.

 

“But you got through them! You’re a survivor Sara, and I wish I had your guts sometimes.” The blonde spoke sweetly as she reached out to touch her leg gently, wiggling her finger against the material of Sara’s shorts.  

 

“I am pretty awesome, aren’t I?” Sara blushed, catching Ava’s loving gaze for a short moment, but that was enough. She knew that she didn’t have to hide with Ava, that she wasn’t going to judge her or make fun.

 

“And not big headed in the slightest.” Ava threw back sarcastically.  

 

“What was it you said earlier?” Sara teased sending a wink her way. “Wouldn’t want to mess with perfection.”

 

“You are perfect Sara, there isn’t anything I would even dream of changing.” Ava happily admitted, her cheeks warming as she spoke.  

 

“Now you’re just trying to flatter me,”

 

“Maybe.” The blonde shrugged as she playfully pinched Sara’s thigh. “But I’m also serious Sara. I know you have a complicated past, one you probably want to forget about altogether. But despite that...you’re amazing Sara, and don’t let anyone tell you any different.”

 

“Ava...I’m glad that it was you who got assigned to babysit us.” Sara coughed out, trying to hide the obvious emotion laced in her voice. “I think I would have kicked any other Agent’s ass by now.”

 

“I mean, you did try,” Ava smirked, thinking back to that day on the Waverider.

 

“You think that was me trying? That was just a bit of fun.” Sara turned to smirk playfully at the blonde, flexing her arms slightly as she saw Ava’s eyes trace their way over her body.  

 

“Whatever you say, Miss Lance.” She let out a hearty laugh as she crossed her arms over her chest, with a fake pout playing on her lips. “Oh, next right and then it’s the first on the left.” She quickly pointed out the small sign.  

 

“Woah...I thought your place was impressive.” Sara’s jaw dropped as they pulled into the large driveway, Ava’s childhood home stood tall over them, almost as big as the Queen’s mansion she grew up playing in. Sara took in every detail, imagining a small Ava toddling around the large house, fighting with her siblings, and growing into the amazing woman she is today. “Hey, you okay?” Sara asked once Ava didn’t reply.

 

“Yeah, I’ve just never brought anyone home before.” She whispered, her voice shaky as she spoke.  

 

“Don’t worry Aves, I’ll be on my best behavior.” Sara turned in her seat to fully take in the blonde for the first time since they left the shop. She looked nervous, really nervous. She was picking at her nails in her lap and twirling at the ends of her hair. 

 

“It’s not you I’m worried about…” Ava mumbled as Sara reached over to lace their hands together.

 

“Would a kiss make you feel better?” Sara whispered sending shivers down Ava’s spine.

 

“Don’t offer something you can’t give.” She muttered back.

 

“Who says I can’t? Need I remind you, that today I’m all yours Ava.” The smaller blonde purred.

 

“Then what are you doing all the way over there?” Ava winked, pulling Sara closer until their lips met. Quickly Ava’s hands dug into Sara’s hair, pulling them as close as possible. Their tongues danced together playfully, as their bodies brushed against each other. In one swift movement, Ava pulled Sara onto her lap, forgetting their surroundings as the kiss deepened.

 

“Oi! Put her down Aves!” The two quickly jumped apart as Daniel banged the car bonnet and laughed loudly. Sara quickly jumped off the blonde, a hot blush flooding onto her face. Ava was about to respond with a series of harsh words when she saw her Father stood behind the youngest Sharpe sibling. _Oh crap,_ she gulped.


	8. Chapter 8

“Holy crap! Holy crap!” Ava repeated over and over. Her Father and Brother have long since disappeared, but the two women were still sitting together in the car.

 

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Sara softly spoke, as she laced their fingers together, shocked that she was finally able to get a word in edgewise.

 

“Sara, my Father just caught us making out in my car, like a bunch of horny teenagers!” The blonde Agent exclaimed, wishing she could just run away and never have to see her family or face the embarrassment again.

 

“I’m sure he and Pam have got it on in a car before.” The smaller blonde smirked, earning a look of pure horror from her fake girlfriend.

 

“Gross Sara!” Ava gagged before the two women fell silent again. Ava lay back in her seat and turned so that she was looking at the smaller blonde. Her heart was still racing, and as much as she wanted to deny it, it had nothing to do with being caught. The only thing that had ever made her heart race and flutter this much was the sensation of Sara’s lips on hers.

 

“Oh god, I bet Daniel is in there running his mouth off as we speak,” Ava whispered after a few moments of mutual silence.

 

“Maybe, but us sitting here any longer is going to make things worse.” Sara winked, before slapping Ava’s bare thigh playfully.

 

“That’s a good point.” She laughed a small blush playing on her cheeks. “Sara?” The Agent quickly spoke just as Sara was about to get out of the car.

 

“Ava…” She replied in a playful tone.

 

“What we were doing before…” The blush on Ava’s cheeks intensified as she thought back to how good Sara’s lips felt against hers.

 

“Kissing?” The Captain teased sending Ava a cheeky wink.

 

“Yes, that.” Ava nodded shyly. “I really like doing it.”

 

“Me too…” Sara whispered as she leaned in to brush her lips against Ava’s cheek. “Maybe we can continue, doing that later.”

 

Sara quickly jumped out of the car and opened her boot to retrieve the presents she had bought for Poppy, and the flowers and whiskey she had brought for Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe. The blush on Ava’s face had faded slightly when the Agent retrieved her own present before the two walked through the back gate nervously. There were a few small children running around, and bouncing on the large bouncy castle, while adults mingling by the small bar and a large BBQ spread.

 

“Don’t worry, he’s not as intimidating he likes to think is.” Ava quickly whispered sweetly, as she spotted her parents making a bi-line for them.

 

“There they are! We heard you pull up ages ago.” Pam smiled brightly as she pulled Ava in for a tight embrace.

 

“You know what young love is like Mom,” Daniel smirked as he passed by them, earning a playful eye roll from Sara and a look of pure hatred from his sister.

 

“Shut it!” She hissed, as Pam looked on in confusion.

 

“It’s good to see you again, Madam Director.” Sara quickly jumped before she had any time to question the siblings.

 

“Sara dear, we’ll have none of that. It’s Pam today.” The older woman quickly hugged the former assassin.

 

“Of course. This is for you,” The Captain smiled as she pulled out a bouquet of flowers from one of the gift bags she was holding.

 

“Such the gentlewoman.” Pam gusted, winking at Ava in approval. “Oh, where are my manners. Sara this is my husband Paul. Paul this is Captain Sara Lance.”

 

“Ah yes, my daughter speaks highly of you on occasion...my wife, not so much.” Paul laughed as he held his hand out for Sara to take. He wasn’t what she had been expecting, he was a lot more rounder and had less hair, but overall he seemed nice.

 

“It’s nice to officially meet you Mr. Sharpe, and I don’t blame them, to be honest.” Sara smiled brightly as she shook his hand, thankful that things didn’t seem to be awkward between them. As their hands dropped she quickly dug into the gift bag to pull out a bottle of Midleton whiskey. “I didn’t know what your drink of choice was, but I’ve never had anyone, apart from your daughter turn this down.” She smiled as she handed the bottle over to the shocked man.

 

“Nothing beats a fine glass of Irish whiskey, and this just happens to be one of my favorites, thank you.” He smiled brightly, kind of resembling a Santa Sara saw at the mall a few years back. “I hope you’ll join me for a glass later this evening.”

 

“I would love to, but unfortunately I’m driving.” Sara politely declined, smiling shyly as she felt Ava’s hand rest on the small of her back.

 

“Gorgeous and sensible. You’ve done alright this time buttercup.” Paul laughed once again, making both women feel a little more at ease. Sara knew that Ava had been worrying about him the most, especially after he caught them in the car together, but so far he had been nothing but nice, and now accepting.

 

“Yeah, she’s alright.” Ava rolled her eyes playfully, prompting Sara to bump hips with her. “But, today isn’t about us. Where is my beautiful niece?” The blonde quickly added as she secured the present tucked under her arm.

 

“She’s floating around here somewhere.” Pam looked around the backyard in hopes of finding the birthday girl but failed. “Let’s go and introduce you to Annie, my youngest girl.” She added, tugging Sara away from Ava’s touch and towards a gazebo, with a nervous Ava quickly beginning to follow. 

 

“Ava, wait up a second,” Paul spoke, forcing the blonde to freeze on the spot and send Sara an extremely apologetic smile.

 

“Dad, if this is about what happ-” Ava started, but was quickly cut off by her Dad’s raised hand.

 

“I vote for never talking about that, ever!” Her Dad smiled awkwardly, as he rubbed his ever-growing bald spot.

 

“Agreed.” The Agent nodded sharply, before smiling at her Dad. “What’s up?”

 

“Sara seems nice,” Paul commented, making a faint blush creep onto Ava’s face. Ava was definitely falling hard for the Captain, and she felt a twinge of pain at the thought of their pending relationship talk.

 

“Yeah, she is,” Ava said softly, as he Dad motioned for her to walk towards the snack table, that was filled with a variety of different candies and chips. 

 

“I’ve heard some things about her…some troubling things, and I just want to make sure that-” The older man started as he picked up a few jelly cherries, but he was quickly interrupted by his now furious daughter.

 

“She has a past Dad! All of us standing here have a past.” She snapped as she stole the sweets out of his hand and popped them into her mouth. She couldn’t believe that he was really going to bring that up, after talking to her for less than five minutes. “She never asked for it, she did what she had to do to survive!” The Agent quickly added, hating that people seemed to have a one trap mind when it came to Sara. This wasn’t the first time she’s heard comments like this, but she never thought she’d hear them from her Father after she brought the blonde woman as her date.

 

“I know buttercup, I just want to make sure that you know what you’re getting yourself into.” Paul sighed, sending an apologetic glance her way.

 

“No offense, but how would you know what I’m getting myself into?” Ava huffed out, easing up a bit on the older man. She knew that he only had her best interest at heart, but it still annoyed her.

 

“She’s seen things, terrible things.” He commented, popping a cherry into his mouth before Ava had a chance to pinch it from him again. “And I know what that can do to a person.” The man muttered, his own past flashing before his eyes.

 

“She’s dealing with it, and if she needs me I’m going to be there, no matter what.” The Agent stood her ground, not thinking about the words before they fell from her mouth. Could she really promise to be there for Sara? Even when she was planning on ending their arrangement. Could she look her in the eyes and say, I’m here, whenever you need me?

 

“That’s what is worrying me,” Paul muttered, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. “You can’t fix her Ava, I know you’ll try, but people who have been through the things that she has...you can’t fix them…god knows your Mother has spent years trying with me.” He admitted the well-kept family secret, one that he knew would stay safe with his firstborn.

 

“Dad, I had no idea.” Ava slowly reached out to comfort her Dad, as he wiped away the falling tears.

 

“That’s because your Mother and I didn’t want to worry you lot.” He coughed back his emotions, as he finally got the tears under control. “I worry about you Ava, worry that you won’t come out of this, as the same Ava I love with all my heart.” He gently took her hand and brought it to his lips.

 

“I know.” The tall blonde whispered, before looking up into her Father’s eyes. “But, I really like her Daddy. Like, really really.” She confessed out loud for the very first time. She liked Sara Lance, she really liked her…and she wanted to be with her, to really be with her.

 

“It shows.” Paul winked playfully, as he picked up two cones of candy floss and handed them to his daughter. “Go rescue your girl, before your Mother takes out the baby photos.”

 

“She wouldn’t…would she?” Ava questioned, panic beginning to rise in her before she quickly took off in search of her _‘girlfriend’_. Talking to her Dad had certainly helped her sort through everything that had been going on in her mind over the last week. She was still going to talk to Sara once the day was finished, but she had a better idea of what the conversation was going to entail, and she just hoped and prayed that it didn’t send the Captain running for the hills…well, in her case, it was more like the time zones.


	9. Chapter 9

Sara was a bundle of nerves from the second Pam pulled her away from Ava. Arms were quickly linked as they walked in a comfortable silence through the garden, smiling and nodding at guests as they passed. Sara had never done this before, she was never someone’s date to a family party. She was the hot one night stand you’d never forget, she was fun and spontaneous. But something about being there, in the home where Ava grew up, just felt right.

 

“My Annie didn’t follow in my footsteps, thank god,” Pam whispered as they neared the small barbecue area. “Annie!” She exclaimed happily, prompting a heavily pregnant women to turn around. She was Ava’s double. Same blue eyes, and light blonde hair. She was tall, almost as tall as Ava but not quite. She smiled brightly at the pair as they approached.

 

“You must be the famous Sara Lance,” Annie spoke softly after hugging her Mother and turning to face Sara. “My sister has told me a lot about you.” She winked, ignoring Sara’s outstretched hand and instead deciding to pull the unexpected blonde into her arms.

 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Annie. Ava has told me so much about you.” Sara lied as she was finally released from the blonde's arms. “And I believe congratulations are in order.” The Captain smiled softly, as the woman in front of her rested her hands gently on the large bump.

 

“Thanks. He’s due any day now.” The blonde puffed out. “I just can’t wait for him to vacate the premises.” She added, making the trio chuckle slightly.

 

“Poppy must be happy to be getting a little brother.” The Captain commented, thinking back on the horror stories her Dad used to tell, about when her Mom was pregnant with her, and how Laurel wasn’t too thrilled for her arrival.

 

“She can’t wait, bless her.” Annie gushed, her bright smile not planning of shifting any time soon. “Oh, here she is now! Poppy sweetheart, come over and meet someone!” She quickly called out to the small child, who immediately came bolting over to the trio and wrapped her arms around her Mom’s legs. “This is Sara, Auntie Ava’s friend.”

 

“Hello…” Poppy muttered, hiding behind her blonde bangs with one arm still wrapped around her Mom’s leg.

 

“Hi, happy birthday Poppy.” Sara bent down to be eye level with the shy child, before shaking the gift bag in her hand. “I didn’t know what you like, so I just got a bunch of everything.” She winked as she handed over the large bag, bringing the small child out of her shell slightly. Quickly the small blonde dug into the bag, her eyes lighting up as she pulled toy after toy out of the bag.

 

“Woah, this is so cool!” Poppy screamed, before launching herself into Sara’s arms, almost making the former assassin fall backward. “Thanks, Sara, it beats the scrabble board Aves got me last year!”

 

“Scrabble for a kid? I think I’m gonna have to have a word with Ava.” The blonde woman winked playfully at the child as she stood, while Poppy stared up in amazement.

 

“Do you work with Granny and Ava?” She asked innocently, panicking both Sara and Pam.

 

“Kind of. I’m a pilot that works for your Grandma.” Sara quickly thought up, earning a nod of approval from the older Sharpe woman.

 

“That’s so cool! How fast does your plane go?” Poppy pressed on, she was so intrigued by Sara and it freaked the blonde out big time. No one had ever really taken an interest in her before, not even her teammates.

 

“So fast!” The Captain whispered to the small child, as her mouth fell open.

 

“Do you catch bad guys with it?” She whispered back excitedly, trying to hold her many giggles in.

 

“All of the bad guys!” Sara winked, chuckling to herself as she thought of what Ava’s answer would be to that question.

 

“You’re so much cooler that Auntie Ava!” Poppy smirked, making the Sharpe women let out a hearty laugh.

 

“Oi, she’ll get ya for saying that!” Annie warned her daughter playfully, already imagining the look that would creep onto Ava’s face.

 

“I’ll just escape in Sara’s super fast plane!” The little girl laughed, as she flew around the group making airplane noises.

 

“I’ll get the engines fired up and the crew on standby, little lady!” Sara fake saluted, before Poppy took off running, her arms stretched out.

 

“She’s a little rascal, just like Ava at her age.” Pam laughed along knowingly with her daughter, as the three watched Poppy re-join her friends and quickly show off her bag of presents.

 

“Ava was a rascal?” Sara gasped in shock, she had always thought of little Ava as a fun yet rule-abiding child. “I’m definitely going to need some more details about that later Pam.”

 

“My pleasure, I’ll even get out the photo albums.” The older woman winked as the laughs from the three women echoed through the large garden. It was a relief for Sara more than anything, she had been so worried about making a fool of herself or of Ava’s family hating her, but things had gone amazingly.

 

“Someone’s going to be in the dog house tonight.” Annie gently pushed the blonde, before resting her hands firmly on her belly.

 

“I’m sure I can win her over.” The blonde smirked while crossing her arms firmly over her chest, making her biceps pop.

 

“With those arms, it won’t be hard.” The pregnant women exclaimed, as she gently punched the hard muscles, thoroughly impressed by the small woman.

 

“Hey! What are you three giggling about?” Ava suddenly appeared, holding two large cones of candy floss.

 

“Nothing, just getting to know your girlfriend Sis.” Annie gave her sister a quick one-armed hug, as her eyes lit up at the pink fluffy goodness in her hands. “Please tell me that one of those is for me?” She asked as she reached out to try and take a cone from her hands, but her plans her foiled as Ava quickly moved her hands out of her sisters reach.

 

“Unfortunately not.” She smiled apologetically, before turning to face Sara. “Here.” Ava blushed slightly as she handed the cone over to the surprised Captain.

 

“Thanks.” Sara purred as their eyes locked together, silently expressing everything yet nothing at the same time. Ava was beyond happy, that much was obvious, but her eyes held something else, something that scared Sara…they held doubt.

 

“Get a room already,” Annie muttered, slightly annoyed that she didn’t get any candy floss, but at the same time unbelievably happy for her sister. The two blonde quickly ended their little staring contest, blushing heavily.

 

“Annie!” Pam laughed as she pinched a small piece of Ava’s candy floss.

 

“Grubs up!” Annie’s husband Bill shouted, prompting a stampede of children to come rushing over to him.

 

“Come on Sara, you’ve got to meet my husband Bill. He’s a personal trainer, but I have a feeling you’ll have a few tips and tricks for him.” Annie quickly lopped her arm with Sara’s resting her hand on the blonde’s bicep as she pulled her away.

 

“Why does everyone keep stealing my date?!” Ava shook her head in fake annoyance, while she craved to spend some actual time with Sara, she also loved the idea of her family getting to know her. “What?” She snapped playfully at her Mother, who had been staring wide-eyed and dopily at her.

 

“Hold onto this one.” Pam was amazed by the difference a week had made. She could see the spark between them from the second she walked into the room that night, but today the little spark had only grown bigger and brighter. Pam knew it, without a shadow of a doubt. Her little girl was in love, and she couldn’t be happier. “She’s a real keeper.”

 

“I know, and I will.” The smile that crept onto the Agent’s face couldn’t be wiped away even if she tried, but the sad one that quickly fell onto Sara’s was the real problem.

 

***

 

Sara was quiet the entire way home. The rest of the party had been an enjoyable event, but there was part of Sara that knew that she shouldn’t dwell on that. She’d never be back in the Sharpe house, never see Annie and Bill, or play with Poppy. Sara had accepted that, and she had been mentally preparing herself for that since the second Ava mentioned ‘the talk’ they would be having. She should have known that it would come to this eventually, it was only ever meant to be a one-time thing, to begin with. But a part of Sara had hoped…no, prayed, that something more would happen. That suddenly Ava would realize that she was more than just the woman who broke time, but she didn’t. Ava had got what she wanted, what everyone always wanted: Sara Lance on her list of exes. But Sara was determined to go out swinging, she was going to have the last word, no matter how much it pained her.

 

“So…do you want to come in for a bit?” Ava asked nervously as they stood in the doorway of her apartment. The Agent was running through her planned out script in her head as she tried to control her breathing. She was finally ready to end this stupid arrangement and ask Sara Lance out properly.

 

“Rather liked giving your neighbors a bit of a show earlier on.” Sara fake smirked, as she tugged on Ava’s shirt pulling them closer together. She needed this, needed to feel the blonde’s lips against hers just one more time before their world came crashing down and their little fairy-tale would be over for good. Hastily, Sara pressed her lips to Ava’s bathing in the shockwaves that flew through her body. No kiss could compare to this, no lips could even come close to Ava’s. Not Oliver’s, or Alex’s, not even her first real love Nyssa could hold a candle to Ava.

 

“Woah…I think we should definitely go inside.” The Agent was breathless once Sara finally released them from the earth-shattering kiss.

 

“I’d rather not.” The Captain whispered as she ducked her head to hide the tear-filled eyes, the time she had been dreading all day had finally come, and she wasn’t about to give Ava the satisfaction of bringing her to bed, only to end it the next morning. “It’s over Ava.”

 

“W-what do you mean it’s over?” Ava muttered, hot tears already running down her face. “Sara, talk to me please.” She pleaded as the smaller woman shook her head violently.

 

“You got what you wanted out of this Ava. Take your bragging rights and shove them down those jerks faces.” Sara spat, her heart breaking at the sight of pure hurt on Ava’s face. “We would never work, we knew that from the second you saw me at the bar. You’re a bureaucratic stiff, and I’m a Legend.”  She shrugged, trying to push the creeping emotions deep down.

 

“So, this is what you really want then?” The Agent stood tall, wiping the tears away and praying that they didn’t come back. “You’re unbelievable! You’re the one who perused me, Sara!”

 

“Who were we trying to kid Ava, there was a time limit from the get-go.” The smaller woman snapped back, hating herself for ending what could have been the first real and healthy relationship in her life, but she wasn’t about to put her life into anyone else’s hands, not again. “For what it’s worth, you’re amazing, and any girl would be lucky to be with you,” Sara mumbled as she turned on her heels and began to walk down the hallway, she just couldn’t bear to face the Agent anymore, and when she heard the loud bang of the door behind her, she knew that Ava felt the same.

 

The drive back to the dropship was filled with hot tears falling fast and hard down Sara’s face. She thought back to how excited she had been today, how she, Amya and Zari had stayed up to help pick out the perfect outfit. She thought about how dry her mouth had gone at the sight of Ava topless, and how much fun they had together in the toy store. She thought about Pam, and Paul, how nice and welcoming they had been – even after the car incident – she thought about Annie and her husband, about Daniel and little Poppy, who idolized her for some reason. And while the memories of the day warmed the Captain's heart, she knew that she couldn’t hold onto them. Soon they would be a thing of the past, Ava would turn back into Agent Sharpe, and her family would be forgotten about. They had to be.

 

When Sara arrived back at the Waverider she was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and hide away for as long as possible. But her crew had other plans, and when she stepped out of the dropship, they were stood waiting for all of the juicy details. Only Amaya knew of the real situation between the two blondes, the rest of the crew got fed the same lies as everyone else.

 

“So…how’d it go?” Ray asked, cementing his role of ship gossip once again.

 

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Sara muttered as she pushed past her team, ignoring the confused looks painted onto their faces.

 

“That bad boss?” Mick’s deep voice echoed through the hallway as they followed hastily behind, trying to fish out some details of their Captain’s day. “You must be losin’ your touch.” He joked angering the upset woman.

 

“What part of I’d rather not talk about it, don’t you people understand?” She snapped, once again taking her Ava infused anger out on her team, even though she knew it was right or fair.

 

“Hey, what happened?” Amaya asked nicely as she reached out to gently stroke her friends bare arms.

 

“It’s done alright. Ava and I are done, so can you all get back to your own sad lives and leave me the hell alone!” Sara screamed before stomping away, all of her teammates either too shocked or wise enough not to follow.

 

“Look’s like it’s going to be another long week…” Zari muttered to Amaya as the men went back to their quarters, already imaging the form Sara would be in for quite some time. “I could kill Ava for making her this angry again!”

 

“I don’t think that’s the problem here…there’s something more serious about all this.” Amaya smiled sadly at the younger woman. “I think our Captain has just had her heart broken…and I don’t think it’s gonna fix itself any time soon.”


	10. Chapter 10

Sara’s head was banging as she lazily peaked her eyes open, the sun blinded her instantly and forcing her to quickly clamp them shut once more. The memories of the night before came flooding back at a rapid pace. She drank…a lot. That was slowly becoming her new normal over the last few days, being away from the ship and her responsibilities, it calmed her and waking up next to a warm body every morning provided her with a sense of peace. The peace she knew that she’d lost when she ended things with Ava.

 

_Ava._

 

The mere thought of the blonde Agent still caused a slight flutter in Sara’s chest. She had invaded her heart, her mind and there was nothing that she could do to get rid of her. But that didn’t stop Sara from trying. Every night she’d go out and try. She’d sleep with the first woman who’d catch her eye and in the morning she’d still wake with the same heart crushing feeling. A feeling that she caused herself because she knew that she could have fought for Ava. She could have told her how she really felt and asked her out on an actual date. But she ran away instead, she cut her ties and took the easy way out. She let go of what had been the only source of happiness in her life, and she hated herself for it.

 

“Morning sleepy head…” A sweet voice cut through Sara’s sleepy state, rousing her slightly from the Ava filled dream she was enjoying. Slowly she tried to open her eyes again, a wave of pleasure and lust fell over her as she caught sight of the blonde hair covering the pillow. Her heart raced, her mind playing tricks on her, making her believe that the dreams had somehow manifested into reality.

 

“Mornin’ Aves,” Sara muttered happily as she leaned over to place a sweet kiss on the exposed skin of her latest lover.

 

“My name is Tiffany.” The sweet voice turned sharp and gritty, proving a painful awakening and realization that it wasn’t Ava she had the pleasure of waking up next to...yet again.

 

“Shit.” Sara slapped her hand against her forehead gently, while the other pulled the thin sheet to cover her exposed body. “I’m half asleep, can you really be mad at me for a little slip.” She cooed, trying to regain some sort of handle on the situation.

 

“I think you should just leave,” Tiffany grunted as she stood, pulling the sheet along with her, before throwing Sara’s clothes forcefully at the captain’s head, each one hitting its target perfectly.

 

***

 

Sluggishly, Sara stepped out of the jump-ship. The smell of stale beer and sweat wafted from her defeated body as she walked down the halls of the Waverider. The first time it happened, she tried to cover it up. She made sure that Gideon kept her team busy so she could have a quick shower, but after a few nights of meaningless hookups and walks of shame, Sara was past the point of caring if her team saw her in a state.

 

“Good morning Captain!” Ray singsonged as he walked past the blonde, blissfully unaware of her current situation.

 

“Is it?” Sara barked back as a few team members exited the kitchen, and came face to face with the scowling Captain. They had all been walking on eggshells since Sunday morning and knew that it was best to hold back any commentary until Sara had stormed into her room.

 

“What’s eating her?” Zari whispered to Amaya, a look of pure worry plastered on both women.

 

“More like, who was…” Mick snorted before shoving the remainder of a doughnut into his slobbering mouth.

 

“You’re disgusting.” The newest Legend pushed the brick of a man, forcing him to nearly choke on his post-lunch snack.

 

Amaya - who had been taking command as Captain over the last few days - quickly assigned the team simple jobs around the ship, before going in search of Sara. They had talked for a bit after the disaster of Saturday night, but after that, the blonde woman just cut herself off from everyone. It pained Amaya so much, this wasn’t the Sara that she had come to call her friend, and she wasn’t going to sit back anymore and watch her drowned in her own sorrows.

 

“Knock, knock,” Amaya called out before peeking her head through the door of Sara’s private quarters. “Is it safe to come in?”

 

“Yep,” Sara muttered as she swung a sharp punch into the tattered punching bag she had set up in the corner.

 

“No picture of Ava?”

 

“Nope.” Another punch echoed through the room, as the sweat trickled down Sara’s face. The hits soon became harder, quicker, more emotional.

 

“Are you planning on talking in complete sentences at some point today?” Amaya snapped slightly, knowing that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with Sara if she played nice.

 

“What do you want Amaya?” Sara grunted forcefully before delivering one last swing at the bag, causing the hinges to shake slightly.

 

“I want to know that you’re okay Sara.” The brunette gulped, unsure of how the blonde was going to react in her current state. “You still haven’t talked much about what happened on Saturday, and this is the fourth morning in a row you’ve done the walk of shame.”

 

“What I do in-between missions is my business. You don’t see my riding your ass about Nate.” The blonde snarled as she wiped the sweat from her brow with a nearby towel.

 

“You’re angry, I get that. But stop acting like a child!” It was Amaya’s turn to snap at the immature blonde, letting her emotions take control momentarily. She knew that talking to Sara wasn’t going to be easy and that she’d likely try and throw her own relationship back in her face. But she wasn't about to hold it against her. Sara was hurting, that much was obvious and Amaya knew that deep down, the blonde didn’t mean anything bad she was saying. “I’m trying to be here for you Sara, but if you don’t tell me what’s wrong then I can’t help you.” Sara’s face held no emotions as Amaya anxiously waited for some sort of response. Sara wasn’t one for opening up to anyone, not even her family. But keeping it all inside, it hurt more than she could even try to explain.

 

“I’m such an idiot.” She muttered gently as she drew in a shaky breath. “I ended things, not Ava.” She added shamefully, shocking her friend to the core, as Amaya allowed herself to drop onto a nearby chair.

 

“Woah, why would you do that Sara? It’s obvious that you’re really into her.”

 

“I wanted to do it before she did. I’m always the other woman, or the bit of fun…but when I was with Ava, I actually felt special.” Sara spoke softly, not used to sharing this much, but she had started now, so she wasn’t going chicken out. “I was scared that I’d let myself fall in love with her, and then she’d break my heart.”

 

“Everyone has those fears Sara, every relationship can end that way. There’s something more to this.” Amaya reached out, brushing her fingers against Sara’s pale skin gently.

 

“I didn’t want her to see the real me.” The Captain whispered, sounding like a frightened child, instead of a badass warrior. “You’ve seen it, the post-nightmare coward. The bumbling idiot, who jumps at the slightest creak.” She hung her head in shame, the memories of her post-nightmare tremors haunting her. She usually kept them to herself, but unfortunately for her, Amaya came looking for her and got a whole lot more than she bargained for.

 

“Sara anyone who has been through the hell you have would be like that. I know if I had, I’d probably be like that all the time.” Amaya stood and opened her arms out to Sara, and much to her surprise, the former assassin quickly entered the embrace. “You are a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman. A woman that anyone would be happy to call their girlfriend, Ava included. But you have to trust her with this part of you first. You can’t keep hiding it away forever.”

 

“I know…I just need time. And some sort of miracle, we kinda left things on bad terms and I’m pretty sure she never wants to see me again.” Sara muttered softly as her grip on the brunette tightened.

 

“I’m sure that’s not the case. You just flash her that charming smile, and she’ll forget all about a silly fight.” Amaya tried to lighten the mood, but her failed attempt only forced Sara to exit the much-needed embrace and build up her giant wall once again.

 

“Maybe, but I’m not going to bother.” The blonde shrugged nonchalantly, brushing off the brunette’s worried looks. “She’s better off without me anyway.”

 

“Sara…”

 

“I’m serious.” Sara finally snapped, her words piecing through Amaya like a knife.

 

The decision was obviously one she regretted deeply, she never wanted things to end. She wanted them to be real, and to last…but they didn’t. Ava was on the brink of ending things anyway, Sara kept telling herself, using that as a way to justify why she jumped the gun. But in reality, the blonde couldn’t have been more wrong and her rash decision to end their arrangement had caused the Agent more heartache than ever before.

 

***

 

Ava’s head was pounding, screaming, aching, by the time she stalked into the Time Bureau. She didn’t know if it was the large amount of alcohol, or the hours spent crying over the last few days, or a mixture of both. But she knew that she wasn’t in any mood to entertain rookie Agents or deal with Legend screwups. All Ava wanted to do was lock herself away in the comfort of her office, until it was time for her to go back to her apartment. But, it seemed like Gary had other ideas and was practically jumping like a small child when he saw Ava approach. “Agent Sharpe isn’t it the most beautiful day. I had the best morning, I woke up with my cat tickling my nose, and then when I went for my usual coffee it turned out to be a free sample da-”

 

“Gary shut up!” Ava snapped harshly, silencing the man-child that was her unofficial partner, not that Ava would ever tell him that. “I’m going to my office, and I don’t want to be disturbed. Got it?” She added, before turning on her heel emotionlessly and heading towards the secluded office.

 

“Yes, Agent Sharpe.” Gary nodded weakly, before he remembered why he had been waiting for the Agent in the first place, and quickly took off after the miserable blonde. “Wait! There’s…”

 

“Morning Ava, I think we need to have a little chat. Don’t you?” Ava froze as her eyes landed on the smirking Legend sat in her seat. _Just what I need right now_ , she thought to herself as she stalked over to her desk and dropped her briefcase onto it.

                                                                                                                                    

“What are you doing here Miss Jewel? I have quite a busy morning planned.” She drew out while massaging her temple.

 

“I’m here to talk about Sara.”

 

“Yeah, we’re not going to do this.” Ava snorted before pulling the Legend out of her seat and reclaiming it as her own. Amaya stood staring intensely, her eyes burning holes into the side of Ava’s head as the Agent scanned the file waiting for her. “What happened between Captain Lance and me, is our business. Not yours.” She added her voice laced in frustration towards the interfering brunette, while her eyes stayed locked on the page.

 

“But that’s where you are wrong because Sara is my business and right now she is hurting.” Amaya shot back, as she sat on the edge of the desk crumpling the scattered pages.

 

“I assume you know that it was her that ended things, not me?” Ava finally gave up with the task at hand and allowed herself to lean back in her seat as she spoke defeatedly.

 

“And the only reason she did was because she wanted to beat you too it. She was terrified that you were going to break her heart.”

 

“She was the one who started this whole charade!” She snapped with all her might, as she fought back the urge to laugh at the pathetic excuses Amaya was trying to feed her. “Now I’ve got my family breathing down my neck, asking if Sara is going to be at the next family get together!”

 

“And you don’t think that she’s affected by all this?” Amaya stood her ground, her tone calm but sharp. “She let you in Ava, she treated you with respect and love.”

 

“She let me fall for her, and then she threw it back in my face!” Ava screamed, not caring if passerby heard or not. She was sick and tired of acting like she wasn’t affected by all this because she was. Every inch of her hurt, physically, emotionally. She was hurting, and she’d never forgive Sara for causing her all this pain.

 

“Yeah well, she fell too! And while she’s too much of a hothead to tell you this herself...she..you were it for her Ava.” Amaya admitted, knowing that Sara would probably kill her for interfering this much, but Amaya didn’t care. She was worried about her friend and she couldn’t sit back any longer. “She has never put this much effort into someone before, she wanted to impress you and your family. She wanted to show you that it was more than just a meaningless hookup!” She watched Ava cringe as the words sunk in, she’d hit a nerve and the Legend wasn’t sure of what the Agent’s next move would be.

 

“It was, but I can’t trust her after this.” The blonde’s voice was small and emotional as she stared down at her hands. She couldn’t believe anything the brunette said, not yet anyway. And she definitely wasn’t ready to even think about seeing Sara again to see if what Anaya was saying was true. “I think you’ve had a bit of a wasted journey.” The Agent turned cold, doing what she did best - blocking everyone out - knowing that it was the okay way to protect her already broken heart.


	11. Chapter 11

“Gideon, swipe right,” Sara yelled as yet another gorgeous blonde woman appeared on the screen in her office. The Legends had just wrapped up a ridiculous mission involving the Middle Ages and giant mutant spiders, which in turn left the Waverider stranded until Ray could finish the repairs. So while they waited Sara decided to try out her new dating profile, along with the help of an unwilling Gideon. “Left Gideon.”

 

“Do you think this is the most productive use of your time Captain Lance,” Gideon spoke up, her English twine ringing in Sara’s ears.

 

“Well, unless your human form wants to pay me a visit.” The blonde Captain smirked, wishing that her unofficial co-Captain could make an appearance.

 

“Unfortunately I am unable to process that request.” The AI sassed in response, she too was fed up with the blonde's attitude over the last few days.

 

“Such a tease.” Sara rolled her eyes, before focusing her attention back to the screen. “Right,” she demanded with a wicked smirk on her face, enjoying her latest hobby to the highest degree. But it still wasn’t enough, and deep down Sara knew that. She knew that none of the girls she picked up in bars or chatted with online would come close to Ava. Sara couldn’t think about her anymore, not when every thought felt like a stab to the heart, a stab that she knew was her own fault.

 

Girl after girl, the blonde mumbled mind-numbingly prompting the endless amount swipes rejecting or matching with Starling City local ladies. After a while, they all started to blur together, every blonde, brunette and redhead, all melting together in Sara’s mind.  

 

“Captain, you are receiving an incoming transmission from the Time Bureau.” Gideon interrupted the Captain’s chorus of ‘rights’ and ‘lefts’, much to her own delight and the blondes anticipation. Her heart quickly began to race, at the mere thought of Ava reaching out.  

 

“Great...put her on Gideon.” Sara quickly jumped to her feet, brushed away the pretzel crumbs from her shirt and quickly rushed around the room to hide the empty whiskey bottles. She had been itching to reach out, to hear Ava’s voice again, to see that shy smile and those gorgeous blue eyes shining back at her. But she just couldn’t bring herself to make the call.

 

The infectious, hopeful smile was quickly wiped off of Sara’s face when instead of Ava looking back at her, she was faced with Director Sharpe and boy did she look pissed. “Miss Lance, care to tell me why you’ve broken my daughter’s heart?” Pam snarled, causing Sara’s blood to curdle and bile to rise up her throat.

 

“Shit…” She muttered under her breath, as she subconsciously straightened her posture and built up her infamous wall of defense. “All due respect, this is none of your business Director Sharpe.”

 

“Ava is my daughter, and right now she is harassing anyone that dares to glance in her direction.” The Director in Pam was furious at her Agent for her outrageous behavior, but the Mother in her wanted to get to the source and see what she could do to help her baby. “What happened? You were both so loved up this weekend.” She asked, more softly than before, displaying this unique side of herself to Sara.

 

“We…Look, Ava is a grown ass woman, as am I. If we don’t want to talk about it, then we’re not gonna.” Sara caught herself, not prepared to bear her soul to Ava’s Mother. “Have a pleasant day Director Sharpe.” Sara quickly ended the call, and let out a shaky sigh of relief. She wasn’t in any mood for a lecture, from anyone’s Mother including her own – which she needed to call at some point during the week – she didn’t need anyone else butting into her life.

 

“Did you just hang up on the Director of the Time Bureau Miss Lance.” Pam suddenly appeared through her portal, scaring the shit out of Sara and prompting the blonde to let out an uncharacteristic yelp.

 

“I forgot that you could do that,” Sara muttered as she caught her breath, with her hand placed firmly over her racing heart. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but I’m just not in the mood to deal with you, or any of this Ava crap right now.”

 

“She’s never brought anyone home before,” Pam admitted reluctantly, knowing that she’d receive quite the scolding if Ava found out about this conversation. “I always thought that she was embarrassed…and when you accepted my invite, I was so excited.” She continued before taking a seat on the nearby sofa and motioning for Sara to join her.

 

“So was I…you have a lovely family.” The blonde smiled weakly as she joined Pam on the sofa, making sure to keep as far away from the older blonde as possible. Pam smiled in response to Sara’s words, and reached out a comforting hand, only to prompt the blonde to flinch away from her touch and stand abruptly.

 

“You’re hurting child. I can see that, but know that she is too.” The older woman frowned and refrained from trying to touch the blonde again. She’d seen this before, and it pained her to think about the amount of suffering she was enduring. “For months you’ve been all that she talks about, and I have a feeling that if I ask around on this ship, I might find out something similar.”

 

“You shouldn’t be this nice to me. I broke up with her, I’m an asshole.” Sara muttered and reclaimed her seat, relaxing slightly into the sofa.

 

“I don’t think that you are dear.” Pam’s voice was sweet and soft, easing Sara into a conversation she never thought she’d be having any time soon. But a conversation that Sara knew deep down that she needed to have eventually. “I see something in you, the thing you try to bury deep down.”

 

“You’ve read my file, you know my story. I’m not hiding anything.” She shrugged inadequately, her strong exterior not showing signs of weakening.

 

“My husband was the same after the war. He tried his best to hide it, but I saw it him too.” Pam admitted, her eyes watering as she thought back to the hard times she and her husband faced. She would never have wished them on anyone and hated to think that her daughter was in the same situation, or losing out on a relationship because Sara was suffering in silence. “We broke up when Ava was a teenager, but she doesn’t know…he was afraid that he’d hurt me, so instead of letting me help, he broke my heart.”

 

“He thought what he was doing was right though, he wanted to protect the woman he loves.” The blonde Captain quickly jumped to his defense, seeing the distinct connection that Pam was trying to make not so subtly. “People like him…like us, we’re dangerous.”

 

“You’ve met my husband, he’s about as dangerous as a kitten…and you Miss Lance, while you may be a trained killer, you have a good heart. A heart that deserves to have love in it, not fear.” The Bureau Director chuckled light-heartedly, a part of her glad that Sara was finally starting to open up, even if it was just a little.

 

“I don’t want to hurt her…Ava, she’s amazing and she can do so much better.”

 

“She doesn’t want a perfect Barbie doll, who hasn’t had to fight to survive. She wants you, the infamous Sara Lance. The woman who had the guts to steal her ship back right from under my nose.” Pam winked, restoring some of Sara’s natural swagger and self-arrogance.

 

“I’m just not ready…no one has ever made this far.” The newfound confidence diminished almost instantly, “And, I’m afraid to let her see the rest of me.”

 

“I understand sweetheart.” Pam placed a hesitant hand on Sara’s knee, letting a small smile creep onto her face when the blonde didn’t jump away from her touch like before. “But, what I will say is that, if you wait around forever you’ll find that she might not be there when you’re ready.”

 

“I don’t think she’ll be there now, to be honest.”

 

“You take some time and think things through.” The older woman squeezed her knee before standing and straightening out her suit. “And promise me this Sara.” She froze as the portal to the Time Bureau opened to reveal uniformed workers oblivious to the world around them.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Don’t go after her unless you are completely sure. Because if you break my little girl's heart again, I’ll have you stranded in the most horrific place of time.” Pam ended on a smirk, that Sara knew held more than just wittiness.

 

“Understood,” Sara muttered as the portal closed. Leaving her alone once again, she sunk into the cushioned sofa and let out a shaky breath. Pam Sharpe had been the last person she ever thought of opening up to, and what had truly shocked Sara was how light she felt afterward. Everything that Pam said hit home and left the blonde with a slightly blurred path. Sara didn’t know if she could ever let someone see the real her, or if Ava would even still be interested in a relationship.

 

“Shall I pull up your phone Captain Lance? You have received quite the response since the interruption.” Gideon’s voice cut through the Captain’s thoughts, anchoring her back to her tortured reality and leaving Sara with one burning question. Could she finally let someone see the real her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! As some of you may have noticed I haven’t been posting or writing as much lately. This is because I am back at university, and living away from home. I’m not usually one to ask for help, but I’m really struggling with money at the moment and due to that I haven’t been able to fully focus my attention on writing. I love all the writing that I do, and I love hearing back from all of you even more. If any of you could please help me out, I’d be so thankful. Also, anyone who donates will receive either early access to a chapter of one of my fics or a prompt of their choosing! If you can, please help me out, I am drowning in anxiety over money and I really will be so grateful! Love all of my readers!! 
> 
> Paypal Email: anonymouswriter2311@gmail.com
> 
> Remember to add a note with your username so I can get in contact and thank you personally for your generosity!


	12. Chapter 12

“What do you mean it’s over?” Annie nearly choked on her veggie burger as Ava broke the dreaded news. Ever since the family barbeque, Annie hadn’t stopped asking after Sara, and Ava was at her breaking point when the younger blonde decided to bring her up at lunch. “But she was so nice.”

 

“Yeah well, turns out she wasn’t.” Ava rolled her eyes at her sister, not surprised by her reaction one bit. Ava knew the effect that Sara had on people, and she hadn’t stopped hearing about the impression she had left on her family.

 

“What’d you do?” Daniel gently slapped his big sister’s hand, trying and failing to bring a smile to her face.

 

“Me? Nothing! She broke up with me out of the blue…kind of…” The blonde Agent stopped herself, truly embarrassed by what she was about to admit to her siblings.

 

“Kind of?” Annie pressed on, eyeing Ava up suspiciously.

 

“Don’t laugh.”

 

“Spill! Now!” She demanded with force.

 

“We were never together, not really anyway.” Ava started, ducking her head out of shame. “It was all fake-”

 

“I knew it!” Daniel stood abruptly with his hands raised in celebration, as other diners glared in shock.

 

“Daniel!” Ava hissed and dragged Daniel back into his seat violently.

 

“Sorry…but I’m never right about anything.” He quickly apologized. 

 

“How did you know?”

 

“There might have been a rumor going around the Bureau…and Sara is kind of notorious for sleeping around and not being the relationship type.” Daniel explained painfully as he watched Ava’s face fall. He could see how Ava felt for Sara, and what her ending things were doing to her, even if Ava was trying to put on a brave face.

 

“Why didn’t you say anything asshole?” Ava smacked his arm semi-playfully, before letting out a long and painful sigh.

 

“Why did you feel the need to fake a relationship?!” Annie spoke up, finally over the shock of her sister's fake relationship.

 

“I…I was tired of everyone talking about me behind my back…and I guess a part of me wanted to actually believe that someone like Sara Lance could really have feelings for me.”

 

“You can do so much better than Sara! Sure, she’s hot…really, really hot-”

 

“Annie!” Ava scolded before burying her head deep into hands.

 

“Sorry…” The pregnant woman blushed, before continuing. “What I meant to say, was that there’s someone great out there for you, someone who is looking for more than just a good time.”

 

“Are you sure that’s all Sara was after?” Daniel spoke up, causing two sets of angry Sharpe eyes to turn and glare at him.

 

“Whose side are you on?” Ava snapped.

 

“Yours obviously…but hear me out.” He held his hands up in defense, as Ava gave him the signal to continue. “You didn’t see how nervous she was that first night, she couldn’t believe that she was actually about to spend time with you. She even admitted to having butterflies in her stomach…does that sound like someone who was only looking for fun?”

 

Ava knew those feelings all too well. She’d felt them herself every time she was in the same room as Sara. Sweaty palms, heart racing, head reeling, the endless supply of butterflies in her stomach. Every single time, with every smile, every glance. And she finally had her, she kissed those lips, held her hand…she had the woman she’s been dreaming of for months, but now it’s over and she couldn’t bear to think about her anymore.

 

“Whatever she was or wasn’t feeling that night is irrelevant.” Ava choked down her emotions, not wasting any more tears on that woman. “None of it was real, and she made it perfectly clear that she has no interest in me.”

 

“Okay…okay. I’ll drop it.” Daniel smiled weakly as he gently covered her hand with his own.

 

“We just want you to be happy Aves.” Annie mimicked her brother's actions, with her other hand rested happily on her growing baby bump.

 

“Me too…and now with everything out in the open, I can get there.” 

 

***

Sara hated hurting the ones closest to her. Every fight with her parents, or petty argument with her sister, had left her reeling and filled with guilt. And that’s exactly how she felt as she waited anxiously for her team to gather on the main deck. Her behavior and overall attitude over the last week had been out of order, and her team and friends deserved better than that.

 

“Thanks for coming everyone…I’ve got a few things I need to get out in the open.” Sara started, her nervousness very present in her voice.

 

“STD results?” Mick muttered into his 10 am beer, earning a dangerous warning glare from the blonde.

 

“Pot. Kettle. Mick.” Zari spoke up, smirking at her teammate.

 

“I’m not thirsty.” He responded before downing his beer with a loud gulp.

 

“Not what I…never mind.”

 

“Moving on…I know things haven’t been great around here lately, and I know that the main reason for that has been my unsavory mood as of late.” Sara pressed on, holding her arms securely over her chest like a safety blanket.

 

“Unsavoury isn’t how I’d put it.” Ray smiled sympathetically, not wanting to anger his friend once again.

 

“More demoniac…sorry.” Zari ducked her head as a look of anger was sent her way.

 

“Anyway, I’d like to apologize for how I’ve been acting.” The blonde smiled weakly, “I let a bad situation get the better of me, and I didn’t take my responsibility as Captain seriously.”

 

“Agent Ass-wipe dropping you must have sucked…she was hot.” Mick raised his second beer in the air, as a wicked smile crept onto his face.

 

“I broke things off actually-”

 

“I thought you were happy with Ava?” Nate spoke up.

 

“I was…but what we had was never anything real.” Sara reluctantly admitted, her heart hurting with a mere thought. “And honestly I really don’t feel like talking about her right now.”

 

“Then we won’t.” Amaya smiled, proud of her friend for finally pulling herself out of the Ava rut she had been stuck in. “Right guys?” The small group muttered a collective yes.

 

“Thanks, everyone.” Sara smiled brightly, as she called the unofficial ship meeting to an end. “Now, I think we’ve had enough time off. Gideon, where to?”

 

“How doesn’t 16th Century China sound?” Gideon’s sassy voice echoed through the ship, the AI happy to be used for her intended use instead of being forced into the life of a personal tinder swipe bot.

 

“An adventure in the Ming Dynasty, sweet!” Nate and Ray excitedly exchanged a few bro-fives in celebration.

 

“Buckle up troops.”

 

“Let’s kick some Ninja ass!” Mick growled, even he had been bored on the ship the past few days.

 

***

 

The Legends gathered around the still body of their Captain, her skin torn and bleeding heavily. They came out of nowhere, struck from behind and left the blonde for dead while her team finished the mission unaware.

 

“Sara’s vitals are dropping and fast.” Ray attached the medical cuff as Gideon started running the essential diagnostic tests.

 

“Gideon you have to do something. We can’t lose her…” Amaya prayed as she clung to Nate, burying her head in his neck as the tears started to stream down her face.

 

“We’re losing her.”


	13. Chapter 13

Red lights flickered, blinking in time with the pounding hearts of the Legend’s gathered around the still body in the med-bay. Gideon had Sara heavily sedated while she ran any and all tests, searching for some way to save her Captain. Sara had been through hell, more than once and come back stronger every time. That’s what her team kept telling themselves, she’d come back, she’d be alright. But as the blood pooled at their feet, staining the ends of their trousers, that small glimmer of hope was fading by the second and all they could do was wait, and pray.

 

“Anything yet Gideon?” Amaya broke the heavy silence, causing an involuntary jump from Zari and grunt from Mick.

 

“I’m doing everything I can Miss Jewel. I’ve placed Captain Lance in a medically induced coma until I can reverse the damage sustained on the mission.” Gideon answered swiftly, her programme running endless diagnostics and scenarios and coming up short every time until finally a breakthrough presented in the worst possible way. “My systems have detected a deadly poison in Captain Lance’s blood system.”

 

“But you can fix her, right Gideon?” Ray asked the question that was on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

 

“I’m afraid that I’m not equipped with the software needed to treat Captain Lance.”

 

“Not equipped? What do you mean you’re not equipped for this? Rip programmed you to help us, now help her goddammit!” Mick snapped, kicking the nearby metal wall violently.

 

“Mr. Rory, I assure you that I’m doing everything I can. But I’m afraid that as a training ship without significant upgrades I am unable to do anything more than make Captain Lance comfortable.”

 

“No, this isn’t the end for Sara! The Time Bureau, they’ve got to have what you need to fix her. We just need to hail them!” Zari spoke up, the other Legend’s nodding weakly in agreement. “Mick, you’re with me.” She nodded sharply, deciding that keeping the extremely emotional man busy would be the best course of action.

 

“This has to work…” Amaya muttered against Nate’s chest; a small area of his shirt soaked.

 

“I hope that Miss Tomaz is right, for Captain Lance’s sake…she needs to be right and fast.” Gideon’s words fell on deaf ears as Sara flatlined once again, and all her team could do is watch as Gideon tried to save her.

 

***

 

As painful as discussing her love-life – or rather her failure of a love-life – with her siblings had been, Ava was truly glad to get everything out in the open. Well, as out in the open as things were going to get. With Daniel and Annie sworn to secrecy, Ava wasn’t about to disclose her agreement with her parents any time soon, instead, she’d put on a brave face and talk about how she and Sara simply wanted different things, which in a way is the truth. Ava wanted Sara and Sara didn’t. End of story. Roll credits. But there was still something that didn’t quite sit right with Ava. What had suddenly caused the change between them? How could they go from wandering hands and stolen kisses to tearful goodbyes in the hallway and radio silence? The kiss. The passion that radiated from them, the way Sara held her close like she never wanted to let go...the look on Sara’s face when she muttered those final words. The image wouldn’t leave Ava, it plagued every spare moment. She knew that she needed to forget about Sara Lance, that the blonde would never be anything more than the egotistical captain of the Waverider, and Ava needed to live with that...somehow.

 

“Okay, don’t kill me.” Daniel’s invasion was a welcomed distraction, not that Ava would ever admit that she needed one.

 

“That’s a great way to start.” She snapped slightly, turning her attention back to her computer screen and the training reports she was supposed to hand in the day previous. “What do you want Daniel?”

 

“Cranky much.” He muttered under his breath, silently praying that his sister didn’t hear him. “I come bearing gifts.” He plastered his signature charming smile onto his face as he slid a folded piece of paper towards the still scowling blonde.

 

“What’s this?” Ava didn’t even bother to look down at the paper sitting a mere inch away from her fingertips.

 

“Haven’t I taught you anything sis?” Daniel smirked as he took a seat facing his sister, ready to be showered with praise at what he thought was an amazing idea. “Everyone knows that the best way to mend a broken heart is to get under...or on top, of someone else.” He winked smugly as he watched the blood begin to drain from Ava’s face in embarrassment.

 

“What did you do?” She hissed through gritted teeth.

 

“I may have talked you up a bit to our waitress from lunch...she was really keen after you left.” Daniel gulped, the look on Ava’s face clarifying that this definitely wasn’t one of his best idea’s. “I didn’t make any promises or anything. I just said that I’d pass on your number.” He quickly held his hands up in defense, hoping that his sister would take mercy on him and spare his life.

 

“I don’t need your help, Dan!” She huffed out as she let her face fall into her hands.

 

“I know...but I honestly just thought that I was helping Aves. Someone new and less serious could be a good thing.” Daniel quickly jumped to his feet and lifted the small piece of paper, twiddling it between his fingers. “One call isn’t going to kill you, and if you don’t like the sound of her, then don’t meet up. It’s simple really.” He gently grabbed her hand and placed the paper in her palm.

 

“If you ever think of doing something like this again I’l-”

 

“Make me disappear? Yeah, I got it.” He smirked before leaning down to embrace his sister, an act they both made of point of avoiding whilst in the office, but today it was something they both craved. “I only interfere because I love you.” He whispered sweetly, before breaking away.

 

“You should go, Hunter will have you cleaning toilets if you’re late again.” Ava pushed him away playfully as she wiped a stray tear from her eye.

 

“No late note?”

 

“Go.” She laughed for the first time since the party, since being with Sara.

 

With her brother out of the room and the blonde lingering in her thoughts once again, the small piece of paper in her hand burned. She knew it wasn’t the worst idea in the world but thinking and doing are two completely different things. Her phone itched in her trouser pocket, begging to be brought to life. A few seconds, that’s all it would take. She’d enter the phone number, count the rings, all whilst holding her breath. The numbers on the paper smiled at her as she unfolded it for the first time. Thoughts of Sara and other women invaded her mind. She knew that the blonde was bound to have moved on already, that she was off breaking someone else’s heart, probably right at this second. Before Ava could question what, she was doing, her phone was in her hand and slowly the numbers filled the screen. Her thumb hovered over the last digit – 9 – she’d come this far; she didn’t want to feel like this anymore. But just as her thumb was about press down on the screen, her computer jumped to life, red lights flash and the painful alarm began to ring throughout the small office.

 

“Agent Green?!” Ava called out as she quickly shoved her phone and the small piece of paper into her pocket and turned her attention to the alert on her screen.

 

“Yes, Agent Sharpe?” The nerdy Agent stuttered, Ava’s tone and volume scaring him immensely. 

 

“Care to explain why we suddenly have a level eight in 16th century China?” The higher ranked Agent snarled at the clueless man.

 

“I…umm.” Gary pulled out his notepad, his hands shaking in slight fear. It was no secret around the office that Ava had been in an extremely sour mood as of late, and he had been doing his best to avoid her wrath. “The last I heard was that the Legends were taking care of this one.” He finally responded, internally flinching as Ava stood.

 

“Why am I not surprised?” She huffed. “Get my ship ready with a full crew, we’ve got a mess to clean up.” Ava snarled as she strutted out of the office with Gary following closely behind.

 

***

 

The Mothership was in complete silence as the crew worked around Ava. After the orders had been barked and course set for China, Ava took her place at the main controls and snarled at anyone who dared to look at her. She wasn’t surprised that the Legends had screwed up, it was second nature for them and if Ava didn’t know any better, she’d think that Sara was purposely trying to screw with her.

 

“Agent Sharpe?” Gary whispered cautiously approaching the brooding Agent.

 

“What Gary?!” Ava snapped, pulling her attention away from the green sky she was happily getting lost in.

 

“The Waverider is hailing us…” He regrettably informed her, knowing that it would anger her even more.

 

“Put her on.” She spoke through gritted teeth and quickly turned to face the large screen. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Captain Lance.”

 

“We need an upgrade for Gideon.” Zari appeared on screen looking alarmingly disheveled, which worried Ava slightly.

 

“Zari? Where is Captain Lance?” She asked, making sure not to let her professional demeanor slip. 

 

“Can you get us software 7T5 or not?” Mick pushed past Zari, his growling anger scaring some crew members that watched from a distance and had only heard the horror tales of Mick Rory from training. 

 

“Not until I speak to Captain Lance and find out what the hell is going on!” Ava stood her ground, her features tightening as fear began to creep up her throat.

 

“You can’t…and if you don’t help us, you never will.”

 

“Zari...what happened? Is Sara-” She silently begged, letting her walls break down as every possible worst-case scenario played out in her mind. 

 

“She’s hurt, really bad. And without that upgrade, she’s not going to make it!” Zari’s voice cracked and Ava’s worse fear was confirmed. “Can you bring it or not.” She pressed holding back the flood of tears that threatened to escape.

 

“We’re on our way...” Ava spoke in a defeated monotone, watching as Zari was quickly gone as soon as she got her answer. The blonde woman stood frozen, ignoring the worrisome looks from her crew that had obviously heard the rumors of her and Sara’s relationship. Ava felt sick to her stomach, she had spent the entire day wishing that she wouldn’t have to see the blonde again, and now she worried that it might be true.

 

“Agent Sharpe...what are our orders?” Gary approached his hand stretched out stopping short of actually touching his boss.

 

“Agent Green you take a tactical team and get clean up the Legend’s mess.” Ava pulled herself together, building up her walls and she walked across the main deck. “I’ve got a more pressing issue to deal with.” She muttered under her breath as she headed towards the main control unit in search of the upgrade that could save Sara before it was too late.


	14. Chapter 14

Armed with the small drive in hand, Ava stepped through her time portal and onto the main deck of the Waverider. The once lively ship held nothing but silence as she walked through the deserted hallways until she reached the med-bay. Ava was terrified of what was waiting for her on the other side of the metal doors, but she knew that she couldn’t let herself be overtaken by fear, not when the only thing that could save Sara’s life was nested in the palm of her hand.   
  
“I got here as quickly as I could.” The blonde Agent announced her presence, she quickly bit down on her tongue, a lifelong coping mechanism that held back the rush of emotions coursing through her as her eyes landed on Sara’s lifeless body. “I’ve got the drive.” She swallowed the large lump in her throat as she handed the small device over to an over-anxious Zari.   
  
“Ray I’m gonna need a little help on this one.” The brunette nodded at Ava a silent ‘thank you’ that she’d never voice.   
  
“On it.” Ray pressed a small kiss to Sara’s forehead and left his place by her bed for the first time. Sara was the closest thing to family the scientist had, and he knew that losing her would leave an unfixable hole in his heart, in all their hearts.   
  
Once again the med-bay fell silent. Mick nursed an untouched beer in the corner, his knees practically raised to his chest as he gently rocked on the floor. Amaya claimed Ray’s seat with Nate firmly planted behind her, a comforting hand on her shoulder. The brunette gently took Sara’s hand and placing a few scattered kisses on her fair skin and battered knuckles.   
  
“What happened?” Ava croaked, her hands shaking nervously. Nobody spared her so much as a glance, all instead shifting their gaze to the floor. “Who did this?” She pressed a little more firmly, she needed to know what was happening before she exploded with worry.   
  
“Why do you care?” Mick hissed, his deep voice staying surprisingly calm. In one swift movement, the warm beer was drained and threw into a nearby trash can. “You broke her! She was fine until you showed up!” He stood violently, causing Ava to jump back slightly.   
  
“Mick lay off,” Amaya spoke up, sending a brief apologetic smile Ava’s way before the blonde had a chance to respond to the outburst the crew had been anticipating.   
  
“Sara’s not the only one that’s broke...I…” Ava choked up, small tears forming in her already bloodshot eyes.   
  
“Yet I only see one of you in a hospital bed!” He hissed, taking a step towards the shaking blonde. “The wrong one is lying there!”   
  
“That’s enough! Sara is fighting for her life because of an ambush she wasn’t ready for.” Nate snapped, his patience quickly running thin. “Whatever happened between Ava and Sara had nothing to do with this and you know it, Mick.” He spoke again, slightly calmer as Anaya rubbed his hand that was still resting on her shoulder.   
  
“Believe what you want, Pretty.” Mick backed off, and with a shrug of his heavy jacket, he headed towards the exit.   
  
Ava didn’t know what to do, if she should approach the bedside of the woman who broke her heart a few days previous, or if she should take this as an out. She’d done her bit to help Sara, she had no reason to hang around a place she knew she wasn't wanted. But she couldn’t leave, not whilst Sara lay lifeless, looking somehow smaller than normal.   
  
“Thanks…” Ava broke the silence prompting the two lovers to shift their gaze to meet hers. “I...I will make sure the people who did this will be punished to the highest degree.” She rhymed off a statement that she’d said countless of times to Agent’s loved ones, only this time she actually meant every word and if Sara was out of the woods she’d be delivering said punishment personally.   
  
“We don’t care about punishing the scum that did this...we just want her to be alright.” Amaya started, only to be cut short as tears began to stream down her face once more.   
  
“Advanced Poison Detective Database activated. Now running diagnostics.” Gideon jumped back to life, her statement an instant relief for the entire ship as her words echoed.   
  
“Sara’s the strongest person I know...she’s not going anywhere.” Ava nodded at the composed couple, before turning on her heel and heading for the door. The device had worked, Gideon would save Sara, so Ava could finally breathe again and leave before anymore Legend’s turned on her.   
  
“What the hell Ava!” A sharp hiss stopped the blonde agent in her tracks, just as she was about to open a time portal back to the safety of her office. “She could have died, and now you’re just gonna leave?” Ava turned defeatedly, flinching internally when she saw the look of pure fury on Amaya’s face.   
  
“There’s nothing more I can do Amaya.”   
  
“Sit with her, wait for her to wake up...just show her that she’s got you.” Amaya listed off, knowing how extremely happy Sara would feel if she woke up to find Ava sitting by her bed.   
  
“She doesn’t!” Ava snapped, raising her voice for the first time since setting foot on the Waverider. “If she wanted me then she wouldn’t have left me standing alone in my hallway! If she wanted me then she wouldn’t have broken me!”   
  
A heavy silence fell over the pair, both women emotionally exhausted from the rollercoaster of a day.   
  
“That night, I was going to tell her that I wanted more...more than a lie,” Ava mumbled, admitting her intentions out loud for the first time. “I have never felt this way about someone before...I just wish that she felt the same.” The blonde nodded, before opening a time portal and stepping through without another word.   
  
“Did you get all that Gideon?” Amaya half-smiled as she headed back to the med-bay. She knew that both women would be more than pissed at her for meddling, but she was sick and tired of Sara hiding away from how she felt and hearing Ava confess everything could provide a step in the right direction for the couple.   
  
“Recorded. Labeled. Stored. Anything else Captain Jewel?” The usually Gideon sass was a welcomed sound for the temporary Captain.   
  
“Just fix her Gideon.”   
  
***  
  
Ava collapsed into her chair as soon as the portal to the Waverider closed. She knew she shouldn’t have left, but she just needed to get out of there. Seeing Sara, even in her broken state, wasn’t good for her and she knew that. She needed to move on, just as she was sure Sara had already done.   
  
“Agent Sharpe?” Gary poked his head into the silent office, his face darker and sad, something Ava had never seen before. “We’ve completed the mission, and well a few of us were wondering...Captain Lance...is she going to be alright?” A small smile crept onto Ava’s lips as a warm sensation filled her stomach. _Relief_. That’s what Ava was experiencing fully at last.   
  
“Yeah, Gary. Sara’s going to be back to her usual cocky self in no time.” She nodded, dismissing him in a much kinder way than usual.   
  
Letting out a small sigh, Ava pulled her phone and the small slip of paper out of her pocket and gently dropped them on her desk. ‘ _One_ _call_ _isn’t_ _going_ _to_ _kill_ _you_.’ Daniel’s words played on repeat in her mind as she punched in the numbers and raised her phone to her ear. This was what she needed, it had to be.   
  
“Hey, I think you may have had the unfortunate experience of talking to my brother today. I was wondering if I could buy you a drink to make it up to you.” She smiled shyly even though she was alone and not putting herself out there in person. This was the next step she needed to take, no matter how nervous it made her. 


End file.
